


Dragon Soul: The Dragon King

by violetbutterfly_90



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Anal Sex, Background Het, Death, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Oral Sex, Past Abuse, Romance, Violence, Work In Progress, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-15
Updated: 2015-04-03
Packaged: 2017-12-05 09:30:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 56,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/721521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violetbutterfly_90/pseuds/violetbutterfly_90
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He was a king lost in the darkness that was looking for his light. After 2000 years of no emotion and unable to see in colors, the once barren world was no more thanks to one boy. But just as the light of his soul returns, so does the evil that he and his comrades once fought to save world. Puzzleshipping. Some het. Mentions of het couples. IN PROGRESS.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own the Yugioh characters.

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He stood on the balcony in his room, looking at the night time sky. The war was over and there was nothing left for him on this world. He and his comrades had done everything they could for their people and now it was up to them to figure out what to do from here. The world was now a gray and dull, lifeless in his eyes. He couldn't feel emotions, he couldn't even see in color anymore. But he was the king of their people, the Dragons. His comrades were now living by themselves or with their remaining family members. Even those with no family left lived with each other, but he knew it was one of the few they could keep their sanity in this endless life.

Yami couldn't count how many times he'd wished for death. How much longer did he have to live in this world? Two thousand years and counting. That was a long time to live and an even longer time to be alone. Yet he here was, living in a mansion in the city of Domino. Long forgotten were the old traditions that Yami had grown up with and now the modern world of technology was in. His comrades, the Kaiba family, had made a name for themselves in the technology world and were now one of the richest families in the world. How they managed to keep people from finding out their immortality was unknown to him.

Then again, they were the only people that Yami kept in touch with. The last time he'd heard from Bakura and Marik, they were living in Egypt in the ruins of what was once the great Dragon Kingdom. He knew if he could feel emotions, his heart would be heavy with sorrow for those two especially. They had been closer to the darkness than any of them.

Then there was Shadi, always a man of mystery and never let anyone get too close him. He appeared randomly from time to time, but never stayed around for more than twenty-four hours. His other comrade, Duke Devlin, had also made a name for himself in the gaming world with his Dungeon Dice Monsters game. Like Shadi, he lived alone and rarely made contact with any of them, but every other decade or so, he would make sure to keep them updated on him. Last, but most certainly not least, there was Mahad. He was Yami's childhood friend and right hand man for a long time. Though he lived alone, he made sure to contact Yami once a year to check up on him.

But it was always the same for all of them, empty. Yami figured this is what happens when one gives up their light in their souls to save the world. Living in darkness everyday was the reward he and his comrades received.

He jumped off the balcony, landing gracefully on the ground and walked towards the city. Many people were walking the streets this evening, laughing with their friends and family, and enjoying life. How he wished he could do the same. He hated how many people these days were taking their lives for granted. None of them knew what their ancestors went through thousands of years ago to keep this world safe from the darkness.

"Yami…," a voice called out to him.

He turned around, seeing Mokuba Kaiba standing behind him along with his brother Noah. "Mokuba, Noah, it's been a long time since I've last seen you," he greeted.

Despite having lost their emotions, Mokuba still gave him a smile. "It's good to see you too," he said. "What are you doing wandering the streets?"

"I…don't know exactly," he answered. "I needed to get out for a while. And what are you two doing here?"

Noah looked bored, nudging his brother. "This one has decided that he and I will attend college this year. Even though we don't really need to."

"We need to learn how to blend in more with the humans," Mokuba scoffed at his brother with anger that he couldn't even feel. "Why don't we go to the café and talk about this where there aren't so many people around us."

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"Here ya go, Yugi," Tristan said as he gave his friend a bag of food and a cup of hot chocolate. "Make sure you and your grandpa eat, and be careful on your way home. Do you want me to get off early? It's getting awful dark out there…"

Yugi smiled at his friend. "Don't worry about me," he assured. "I'll be fine. I'm used to walking home in the dark. Don't worry."

Tristan frowned, obviously not comfortable with his little friend walking home alone. "Try calling Joey, Malik, or Ryou. Maybe one of them can pick you up. Or hell, call Valon or Alister. One of them should be off work by now. I don't like the idea of you walking alone."

"But it's only fift-" Yugi started.

"I don't care if it's only fifteen blocks away!" Tristan interrupted, covering his ears. "I'm not listening. Call someone and tell them to drive over here and pick you. I need to go take these people's orders. By the time I get back, someone better be on the way, got it?"

"Got it," Yugi laughed, pulling out his phone to call Joey. Luckily for him, Joey answered.

"Hey, Yugi, what's up?" he asked.

"Nothing, Joey. I'm at the Tristan's job. Do you think you can drop me off at home? Tristan is worried I'll get kidnapped or something if I walk home," he said.

Joey chuckled. "Sure, I'll be there in a few minutes. Tell that punk to make me some hot cocoa. And to put extra whipped cream on top."

"Alright, see ya soon," he said, hanging up the phone and saw Tristan mixing coffee. "Joey is on his way. And he said to make him a hot chocolate with extra whipped cream on top."

"Yeah, whatever," Tristan mumbled as he worked. "I'll make his damn drink once I finish these three."

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"This is your idea of a not so many people?" Yami asked. They were at a café that wasn't so full of people, but enough to put Yami on edge.

"It's not that bad," Mokuba said. "Plus, I know the guy that works here. He's pretty cool. It's…interesting to see him and his friends together."

"Alright, here you go," Tristan said, handing them their drinks. "Will that be all for you?"

All three of them shook their heads. "We're good, thanks, Tristan," Mokuba said.

"Okay, shout if you need anything," he said, walking away.

"That's the man you know?" he asked the younger boy. "What makes him and his friends interesting? They don't look like anything special." He looked at the young man, seeing him talk to someone sitting near the counter. He couldn't see the person since they had a hood over their head, but he could tell it was a young boy by the way he was shaped.

Mokuba shrugged, taking a sip of his coffee. "Usually whenever he works, his friends are here. I guess they're busy tonight. They're amusing to watch. Especially Joey and Mai when they start arguing. Valon sometimes joins in while Téa, Ryou, and Yugi try to calm them down. You know, you should meet Yugi, Ryou, and Malik one day. Surprisingly, they look like you, Bakura, and Marik. Only they look more innocent. Right, Noah?"

The other boy shrugged, looking bored as he drank his coffee. "I never bothered to pay attention to them that much. But they do bear a striking resemblance to you and those sadistic men."

Yami knew if he had emotions, he would've chuckled at that. But it had been about two thousand years since he last felt emotion. A dragon, if they didn't find their mate, lost their emotions and sight of colors after a thousand years of life. Only finding their true soul mate would bring them back their emotions and color for their eyes. Though Yami and a few of his comrades had lost those abilities a lot sooner than that. For some dragons, like Mokuba and Noah, it could take longer for emotions to disappear. They had barely lost that ability a century or two ago. "So, why are you two going to school? It's not like you need the education."

"Trying to blend in with the real world," Mokuba replied. "I'm…bored with just sitting around. At least if we go to a school, we might get to see things that are interesting. Set and Seto are okay with us going."

"I see…," Yami mused. "I guess even after so many years, something can always surprise you."

"Why don't you come with us?" Mokuba suggested. "If anything, it'll be interesting to see what people do in the modern world. Considering you've been hidden away for how long, two thousand years?"

To anyone who heard them, they probably thought they were joking around. Though it was true, the last time Yami had any real contact with the outside world was two thousand years ago, after the war… "Why would I want to go to school when I know everything?"

"Again, to be amused by the antics of people today," Mokuba said. "Tristan and his friends are going to the same school we're going to. And who knows, maybe you'll get lucky and find your soul mate."

"My soul is too damaged to have a soul mate," he said. "You know that I gave away my light to…"

"We know that, but you have to get out once in a while, pharaoh," Mokuba said. "Do you plan to spend the rest of your days locked in your home?"

The pharaoh sighed, wishing he could at least feel annoyance. He didn't see the point in being with the world. If he were to meet anyone, they would be gone in only a matter of years. Humans were so frail and their lifespans were short compared to his immortality. He didn't want to see someone he cared about die from old age. He already lost his family and one of his dearest friends from the war. To this day, his friend's death still haunted him and he still saw the memories. "There's no point in befriending humans when their lives are so short. I don't see how me going to a school will do anything except show me how I don't have emotions."

Mokuba was about to reply when he heard his phone ring, seeing Seto's name on the screen. "What is it, big brother?"

"Where are you and Noah?" his brother asked. "You two were supposed to be home by now. Did you register for school?"

"Yes, we did," he replied, taking a sip of his coffee. "We ran into Yami, surprisingly, and we're at the café right now."

"Hn, so he finally came out of his cave," Seto mused. "Get home soon. No arguments." He hung up the phone before his younger brother could say anything.

Mokuba sighed as he hung up. "Looks like me and Noah have to go. Or Seto will lecture us again."

"Still treats you two like your babies…," Yami stated. He remembered Set and Seto always fretting over the two little ones during the war since the two of them weren't even ten years old when it happened.

"Well, I guess we'll see you…whenever we see you," Mokuba said, standing up with Noah. "Well, if you ever want to call, here's my number…school also starts next week. If you're interested, that is."

"I'll _consider_ it," he stated, making sure Mokuba knew there was no guarantees. Why would he go to a school when he knew everything there was about the world? Nothing had really changed from what he could see. The only thing that changed was technology, but humans were the same as they'd always been. He nodded his goodbye to them, watching them leave.

"Aw, damn it, not again!" he heard a voice complain. He turned to see where it came from, seeing the young man, Tristan, groaning. "Why are you so good?" He was talking to the small boy sitting by the counter.

"I'm the king," the hooded figure laughed. "And it helps that my grandfather owns a game shop."

Yami walked towards them, seeing them play a game that looked a lot like…the spirits of monsters that were once sealed in stone tablets back then in ancient Egypt. "Excuse me, but what are you playing?" he asked.

"You don't know about Duel Monsters? Where have you been living in, under a rock?" he asked the man.

"Something like that…," Yami said quietly.

Tristan snorted. "Well, Yugi, explain it to him. I need make Joey's hot chocolate before he comes in here and whines."

Yugi laughed then turned to the young man who was now sitting next to him. Needless to say, he was a little stunned when he saw that the man looked like him, almost like they could be twins. Only the man seemed more mature, taller, had more muscle, and had dark ruby red eyes. Plus, the look in his eyes…Yugi could see there was pain in them. Though the man's face remained stoic. "I'm Yugi," he introduced himself. "And you are…?"

"Yami," he replied, looking at the boy. "You're a friend of Mokuba, are you not?"

"Yes, well, more like…acquaintances," Yugi answered. "I've only known him for a short period of time, but he seems like a nice guy."

Yami couldn't help but stare at the boy. How did he know that the boy had amethyst colored eyes? Or that the boy had blonde hair framing his face? And more importantly…why did he feel confused about this? It was startling how he was suddenly seeing color everywhere. He started feeling dizzy from seeing and feeling everything at once.

"Are you okay?" Yugi asked, seeing the man slump forward a little like he was sick. "You're not sick, are you?"

The pharaoh couldn't answer him, closing his eyes to regain his composure. "I'm fine. I just…"

"Do you want me to call someone?" the younger boy asked in concern. "Tristan, is Joey on his way? Maybe he can take Yami home too?"

"Depends if his dad is gonna let him out for that long," Tristan sighed. "You know how his old man is…"

"I'm fine," Yami told them. "I just…I'll be going now." He got up and left before any of the boys could say anything. As soon as he was outside, he rested against the wall to try and compose himself. Why was he able to see colors now? The sky was dark now with hues of blue and violet along with the white-silver stars adorning it. He looked back inside at the boy, Yugi. Why did this boy make him feel emotions and see color? Could he be…?

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"Hey, Joey just texted me. He's here," Yugi told his friend and put all his stuff in his backpack. "I'll see you later, Tristan!"

"Hold on!" Tristan called after him then handed him a cup. "Here's Joey's hot chocolate with extra whipped cream. Tell that punk he owes me money next time I see him."

Yugi laughed, nodding. "Okay, see ya!" He walked out of the café, not seeing the man standing by the door and got in the car. "Thanks for picking me up, Joey. Tristan was gonna chew me out if I tried to walk by myself. Oh! And here's your hot chocolate. Tristan said he put extra whipped cream and that you owe him money next time you see each other."

Joey snorted as he took a sip and drove off. "He can keep wishing about getting his money. I probably owe him more than a thousand dollars from just him making this alone. And I would've chewed you out too for walking home alone at this time. Been really crazy around this part of Domino lately. Don't need to find out that you've been killed and thrown in a ditch just because you thought you can walk alone."

"How's your sister?" Yugi asked.

The older boy shrugged. "Okay, I guess," Joey replied. "Her eyesight is starting to get worst. Doctor said that surgery can fix it, but…"

"The cost, right?" Yugi asked. "Those surgeries cost a lot, don't they?"

"Yeah, and with our old man drinking half of our paychecks every time we get paid, rent, food, and gas, we don't have enough to spare for it. And let's not even get started on school!" Joey told him. "I might have to quit school and get another job."

"But Joey, you already have two jobs!" Yugi exclaimed. "If you get a third, you'll work yourself into the ground. We all know you've hardly been eating. You've gotten thin. When was the last time you ate?"

Joey shrugged, taking another sip of his hot chocolate. "Not sure, been running on adrenaline and water for the past three days. I've been working extra hours at the bar. Been making some nice tips."

"Here," Yugi said, handing him a sandwich from his bag. "Eat this on your back or whenever, but please eat it! Promise?"

The blonde boy laughed, nodding. "Sure, Yugi. I'll eat it on my way back home," he promised, stopping the car as he approached Yugi's house. "Thanks a lot, buddy."

"You're welcome," Yugi said politely. "And thank you for driving me home. Do you work tomorrow?"

"Nah, surprisingly me and Serenity are off tomorrow," he answered.

"Well, how about we all get together at my house? We can play games, watch movies, and just hang out?" Yugi suggested. "We haven't had a day like in a long time and Grandpa really misses seeing all of you. Said the shop feels empty without two or three of us there and causing a ruckus. Especially you and Tristan yelling at each other when you play Duel Monsters. Or whenever you and Mai argue."

"Seems like I'm always yelling at someone," Joey laughed. "But that sounds like a good idea. See if everyone isn't busy tomorrow. Either way, me and Serenity will stop by."

"Alright, see ya tomorrow!" Yugi said as he got out of the car and walked inside his home. "I'm back, Grandpa!"

His grandfather looked up from sweeping the floor and smiled warmly. "Did Tristan give you a hard time about walking back alone in the dark again?"

Yugi nodded as he pulled his jacket off and tossed it on the counter. "Yeah, but luckily Joey wasn't working yet and he dropped me off. He said it's been really crazy around this part of town lately. Have you heard anything on the news?"

"It has been a little rough around here," his grandpa replied. "I guess I can agree with the two of them about you walking home alone in the dark. It isn't safe."

"But Tristan does it all the time," Yugi sighed. "How come it's okay for him?"

The old man laughed. "That's because Tristan knows how to fight and take care of himself. I don't have to worry about him, Joey, Valon, Alister, and Malik. Even though Malik is not that much taller and bigger than you, but he's more…"

"Sadistic?" Yugi offered.

"Dirty," Solomon said. "You said he used whatever he could get his hands on whenever he fought those bullies at school."

The two of them continued their conversation as they ate. After that, both of them cleaned up and closed the shop. Solomon went to the back room, which was the living room and watched TV while Yugi cleaned the kitchen and washed the dishes.

Neither of them realized the whole time, they were being watched by dark ruby red eyes. Even after they went to their rooms for the night, those eyes continued to watch the young boy as he opened the window and read a book.

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Yugi was reading his book about ancient Egypt and all of the myths from long ago. His grandfather had raised him on these books and he loved reading about the dragon myths. He would love to listen to his grandpa tell him the story of Pharaoh Yami and his dragon warriors. It was one of his favorite stories and he'd found and read every book he could of this story. This was his favorite myth and he loved to read everything about it.

Now that he thought about…every picture he saw of the hieroglyphics of Yami…he almost looked like Yugi. And now, he remembered the man he'd met earlier at the café, Mokuba's friend, Yami. And since he also looked like Yugi, that meant he looked and had the same name as…

_That's silly, Yugi. It's not the pharaoh in the stories. These are just myths that people made up of the real Pharaoh Yami and his warriors. Even archaeologists agree that they're myths and that there's no proof of dragons ever existing in the world. It's all made up._ He told himself. _Someone else out there in the world is probably a big fan of these myths like you and probably named Mokuba's friend Yami that to honor the pharaoh from long ago._

He looked at the artifact that was on his desk. He remembered his grandfather had been on an expedition in Egypt and had brought him back the pendant that Pharaoh Yami had always worn. The Millennium Puzzle. It was a rare artifact that many wished they could get their hands on and was worth a lot of money. But Solomon had given it to him instead.

_I wonder if the Ryou, Malik, and Ishizu's Millennium Items belonged to someone like Pharaoh Yami. I should go to the book store and see if it has any books on the Millennium Items. Or maybe I can ask Ishizu, she's an archaeologist. Then again, so are Kisara and Odion. All of them know about the Millennium Items. I'm sure they must know something about the original owners._ Yugi thought to himself. He set the book on the small table next to his bed and got under the covers. He and his grandpa would be busy tomorrow cooking for everyone. He was glad that his all of his friends would be able to come over. They hadn't all been together since school ended and part time, or full time jobs in some of their cases, got in the way. But now they would be able to see each other again, even if it was for only a few hours.

He yawned, lying down on his bed. "Well, I guess I better get some sleep. Me and grandpa are gonna be doing a lot of cooking tomorrow," he whispered to himself and closed his eyes, listening to the trees rustle from the soft wind.

Those dark ruby red eyes never left his face as he fell asleep.

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Yami knew he should've left a long time ago, but he couldn't.

This boy was his.

His Soul Mate.

The one that would bring back colors to his sight and give him back emotions. Those emotions were swirling around inside him like a tornado, making him restless. He actually felt restless. It had been two thousand years since he last felt any emotion. This boy, Yugi, was the missing half of his soul. His light that he gave up to save the world.

When he'd seen the boy at the café, he remembered that Mokuba had said that Yugi did look like a more innocent version of him and he agreed. The boy was shorter and more slender. His hair looked almost like Yami's, but he only had blonde hair framing his face. And his eyes were the most beautiful amethyst color Yami had ever seen.

He jumped on the windowsill of Yugi's room, looking at the sleeping boy. He looked like an angel. The boy stirred, as if he knew someone was watching him. _**Do you sense me, Little Light?**_ He asked the boy telepathically.

Yugi opened his eyes when he heard the voice in his head. There were only three people he knew that could that, and none of them sounded like that. He turned around to look at his window, seeing nothing there and looked outside, still seeing nothing or no one there. Who was it that talked to him?

_**Are you scared that I can talk to you this way?**_ The voice asked him, as if it was amused by his reaction.

_**Who are you? And how are you able to talk to me like this?**_ Yugi asked them.

_**Because we are two halves of the same whole. I am the darkness and you are the light. Have you always been able to communicate with people like this?**_ The voice asked him.

_**Only three other people…why are you talking to me? Who are you? Do I even know you?** _

_**Patience, Little Light…we'll meet again…**_ the voice said.

_**Little Light…? What are you talking about? And what do you mean we'll meet again? Who are you?**_ Yugi had to know who this person was. Did he know this person? It wasn't Malik, Ryou, or Ishizu talking to him. This person…was something else. He didn't know how he knew, but he knew something was different.

_**Go to sleep…** _

All Yugi saw was dark ruby red eyes before he felt his eyes close and the darkness of sleep took over.

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Yay, another story. I was supposed to be working my Kingdom Hearts story, Mermaid's Tear, but this story popped into my head. I'll be leaving any warnings of each chapter at the top, like if there will be a scene of any couple in this story that you'll wanna or just a clear warning of any mentions. Yes, I will be using Téa in this story as a friend to Yugi. I actually thought she was pretty okay in the anime. But don't worry! There will be enough villains to make you happy. :D

So what do you think? Think it's a good start? Let me know.


	2. Chapter 2

**Warnings!**

These couples are merely mentioned and nothing will be happening with them. Look at my profile to see who it is and to see my rating system for future reference.

Lifeshipping: mentioned  
Conquestshipping: mentioned  
Childshipping: mentioned

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Yugi woke up in a panic the next morning, looking around the room as if he was expecting to jump out and attack him. _Was it all a dream…?_

He swore he remembered hearing someone talk to him telepathically last night. But that wasn't possible was it? He knew that even Ishizu didn't know why they were able to communicate like that. Then again, the whole Ishtar family was able to do magic on some level. The most advanced one was Malik, and then it was Ishizu, Kisara, and Odion. Malik was able to possess people's minds and control them while Ishizu was able to see the future, or at least a possible future. Odion and Kisara only a little bit of magic power that only allowed them to sense the power inside other people. Ryou with his Millennium Ring was able to lead him anywhere that he wished to find, sense others emotions, erasing memories, possessing people, and use a small amount of shadow magic.

Other than that, Yugi didn't know or hear anything about anyone being able to use shadow magic. He knew he had to have been dreaming. There was no way that someone else was talking to him telepathically. _It was definitely a dream, Yugi. You must've been more into the story of that book than you thought and started dreaming of people talking mind to mind. Pull yourself together and go to the store to buy the groceries for dinner tonight._

**_I find it amusing that you think me talking to you like this is a dream._** A deep voice said amusingly. It was the same voice from last night!

**_Who are you? And how are you able to talk to him like this?_** Yugi asked. If this person was dangerous…

**_Dangerous? Your imagination is certainly something else, Little Light._** The voice chuckled. He was laughing at him! Whoever this person was thought the whole situation was funny.

Yugi huffed and crossed his arms, shaking his head, wishing he could wake up from this dream. "You're not real," he said out loud. "I don't hear someone else's voice in my head and I'm not talking to them either." He stood up and stretched. "Maybe I can call Ryou and see if he can take me to the store."

**_I find your reactions amusing. Do you really think I'm part of your imagination?_** The voice asked him.

The small boy decided not to answer, guessing it was insanity taking over. "I guess I better stop reading those books before bed. They must be making me think that I'm hearing someone," he tried to lie to himself. He closed his eyes and focused on creating a barrier in his mind. He, Ryou, Malik, and Ishizu had practiced on each other and were able to create barriers so that at least Ryou wouldn't be able to sense their emotions at least. His poor friend had a hard time functioning on the outside world with being empathic unless he was with Yugi, Malik, Ishizu, Odion, or his sister Amane. Though Amane didn't show any psychic abilities, she was still an anchor for her brother whenever the emotions of people surrounding him became too much. Ishizu concluded it was because they were blood related and that their biological connection kept him from sensing Amane's emotions unless he focused on it.

He made sure his barrier was up before he walked out of his room, forgetting that he left his window opened.

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Yami smirked, as he saw the boy leave his room without closing the window. He took the opportunity to go in and explore. The room was small, well small compared to what Yami was used to. There was a large shelf filled with books on ancient Egypt and all the myths of dragons. So that's what he and his people had been reduced to? Myths and fairytales? All their hard work to save this world to keep the darkness from consuming it, and this is what they got? He didn't know if he should be appalled or enjoy the fact that he was able to _feel_ appalled.

Then again, there were so few dragons left in the world. Perhaps it was better that they were unknown. He walked around the room, seeing the desk covered with books, papers, and those cards that he'd seen Yugi with at the café. He noticed the manufactures name, seeing Kaiba Corp. as the creators of these cards. So that's what the Kaiba brothers had been doing? They had been giving people a history lesson and no one knew it.

He looked around the room more, smelling Yugi's scent everywhere, orchids. He heard Yugi approaching the room and disappeared before he could see him. Yami knew he couldn't just appear like that to the young boy.

"Soon, Little Light, we'll meet again," he whispered. He walked away, heading towards Kaiba Corp. It had been a while since he last saw Set and Seto. Probably five centuries ago. They weren't really social to begin with and losing their emotions only made them even more antisocial. But now…maybe Yami could convince them there was still hope left. He would have to contact all his comrades and tell them what has happened. This could at least give them the hope that all of them had been waiting for.

He saw Mokuba unlocking the door to his home. "Mokuba," he called out.

The black-haired boy looked at him and gave him an attempted smile. "Yami, what a surprise," he greeted. "I didn't think I would see you this soon. And looking so…happy." He looked at Yami like he was trying to figure out a puzzle. "Why do you look like that? If I had feelings, I'd be freaking out right now."

He chuckled, almost scaring himself when he did so. It had been two thousand years since he felt anything. Now everything felt like it was coming at him all at once. "I have something to tell you and your brothers. Are they here?"

Mokuba nodded, letting him inside. "All of my brothers are here today," Mokuba told him as they walked further in. "I finally convinced Set and Seto to take a break today, though they don't really need it. Can't really tell when they're tired."

Yami saw all of the other Kaiba brothers in the living room, Set was watching the news. Noah and Seto were near the window playing chess. "Hello, my comrades. It's been a long time," he greeted.

Seto took a second glance at him before resuming his game. "More like not long enough," Seto muttered. "What brings you out of your hole?"

"Something that all of us have been wishing for," Yami replied seriously. "Something we've wanted for two thousand years…" He let them see his memories of the past twenty-four hours, letting them see that he'd found his soul mate.

"Yugi is your soul mate?" Mokuba asked.

He nodded. "Yes, I met him after you and Noah left yesterday. He and Tristan were playing some game called Duel Monsters and I wanted to see. After he introduced himself, I began to feel and see in colors."

"So…is that why Yugi looks like you?" Mokuba asked. "All of you gave up the light in your souls to seal away the darkness that threatened to consume the world two thousand years ago."

"Our light wasn't strong enough to actually destroy the darkness," Set told him calmly. "It was said that the light of our souls would eventually be reborn and that will be the strength we need to destroy the darkness once and for all. But after so long, I don't think any of us thought that we would find our soul mate. Most of our kind are able to find their soul mate before they even turn a century old." He looked at the former pharaoh. "Are you sure that this is the light of your soul? It was never said that light of your soul and your soul mate would be one and the same."

"But it would make sense if they were one and the same, wouldn't it?" Noah asked as he continued playing chess with Seto. "Two halves of the same whole. Light and darkness. One cannot exist without the other. Maybe the gods are finally giving back what was lost. Though Mokuba and I just recently lost our ability to feel emotions and see in color, it's been too long for you and the others. Not many of our kind would've last this long."

"Noah's right," Set said. "None of our kind would've lasted this long. Especially since all of you went through this alone, unlike Seto and I. We at least had Mokuba and Noah to share their emotions with us while the rest of you were either alone or travelled together. Though I fear for Marik and Bakura's sanity more than any of us. Those two were already close to the darkness before they gave up their light."

Yami nodded, his heart feeling heavy at the thought of those two. He only hoped that once he managed to get in contact with them that they wouldn't give up. "Do you know any way to contact them? I haven't talked to them in…three hundred years. The last I heard from them, they were living in Egypt in the ruins of the kingdom."

"Then contact Mahad," Seto suggested, moving one of the pieces on the chess board. "Check mate."

"Why would Mahad be able to contact them? He hasn't seen them any more than I have," Yami told him. "What is he going to be able to do?"

"He living in Egypt," Set answered. "We do keep track of our comrades when they want to be found. Though none of us knew Marik and Bakura were living in the ruins. Why are they living there?"

"Because…they thought it was the best place for them to be away from populated areas," Yami replied, seeing the brothers look at him. "They were much closer to the darkness than any of us realized. Both them decided to live in the ruins."

"Hn, and you were okay with the two deadliest psychopaths staying together in a ruined kingdom?" Seto asked. "How did you know the two of them would be okay?"

"The world hasn't ended, has it?" Yami countered.

Mokuba shook his head. "True, but you didn't at least keep in contact with them?"

Yami shook his head. "No, both of them said they'd be on their best behavior. And I told them if they weren't, I'd have no choice but to banish them to the Shadow Realm. Other than that, it seems like they've fallen off the face of the Earth."

"I see, but now you need to contact Mahad and tell him to get those two and bring them here," Set told the former pharaoh. "If they see that you found your soul mate, maybe they won't give up."

"One can only hope…," Yami whispered as he dialed a number on his cell phone that Mahad had sent to him a few years ago. He remembered asking his friend why he gave him such an item as he didn't need it. Mahad told him that they should try to fit in with the modern times and that talking telepathically from long distances took a lot of energy.

"Hello…?"

"Mahad, its Yami. There's something I need you to do…"

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"Really? Someone else was talking to you like that…?" Ryou asked his friend.

Yugi nodded, putting two bags of chips in the cart. He'd called Ryou for a ride to the store and his friend had agreed since Amane was at work. "Yes. I feel like I've heard his voice before, but I'm not sure. I closed my mind off so he wouldn't talk to me anymore. But I know this isn't the last time I'll hear from him. What do I do?"

The white-haired boy shrugged, looking just as lost as he was. "I don't know, Yugi. You should tell Ishizu about this. She's the only one who might be able to help. Then again, maybe Malik can track him down. If I could see what he looks like then I would be able to use my ring to track him down. But I'm useless until then."

"I wonder where I've heard his voice though," Yugi mused as they walked through the ice cream aisle. "I swear I've heard him before, but I can't remember where. But I sense that he has a lot of power. I just know it."

"But you're no slouch either," Ryou pointed out, grabbing a half gallon of vanilla ice cream. "Maybe if he contacts you again, you should use that connection to locate him. Or try to see what he looks like. If you can at least get an image of him then I can just look into your mind and use my Millennium Ring to locate him."

Yugi sighed as he grabbed a half gallon of cookies and cream ice cream and a chocolate one. "I doubt it'll be that easy. I'm sure this guy knows I'll try something to find out who he is."

"But he won't expect me or Ishizu and Malik. Keep your mind open for the three of us and when we're able to, we'll try to break his barrier," Ryou told him. "It's the only thing I can think of."

Yugi was about to reply, but accidentally ran into someone. "I-I'm sorry!" he apologized, looking up at the person. "Yami…?"

The older man smiled down at him. "I'm surprised you remembered my name."

"I'm sorry for running into you. I didn't see you there," Yugi apologized again.

Yami waved his hand uncaringly. "It's alright, it was an accident. What are you doing here?"

"Shopping for food for a get together with my friends," Yugi replied, turning to Ryou. "This is my friend, Ryou. Ryou, this is a friend of Mokuba, Yami."

"It's nice to meet you," Ryou said with a polite bow.

Yami was surprised how much the white-haired boy resembled his comrade that he couldn't but say his name. "Bakura…?"

Ryou immediately looked at him with suspicion and took a small step back. "How do you know my last name?"

"I'm sorry," Yami apologized while shaking his head. "You look so much like my friend, Bakura." Then he realized what the boy had asked. "Did you say last name? Bakura is your last name?"

The white-haired boy nodded, looking at him with suspicious eyes. "Yes. My name is Ryou Bakura."

"I see…," Yami mused. "But I apologize. My friend's first name is Bakura. You two do sort of look like alike, except he looks older…" And more sadistic and evil. He thought, but he didn't need to say that to them. The boy did look like his friend except shorter and smaller in build. Bakura was built with wiry muscles and had a scar below his right eye. The only thing these two had in common were the pale white skin, white hair though Bakura's hair was more wild, and the brown eyes, though Ryou's eyes seemed a little lighter.

Ryou relaxed a little, but still remained a little wary. He noticed that he couldn't read the man's thoughts even when he tried. "I supposed there are people out there with the name Bakura, first or last." He also noticed that the man did look a lot like Yugi except older and more mature. Plus, the dark ruby red eyes were much more different than Yugi's amethyst gaze.

"That's true," Yami said then looked down at his mate. The boy looked just as stunning as he did last night. He was still wearing the jacket, but he had the hood down this time and now Yami could see his face even better.

"Are you okay? You seemed…troubled last night when you left the café," Yugi asked.

The older man nodded. "I'm fine. I was just…taken by surprised about something. But I assure you, I'll be okay. "Were you able to get home okay? I remember you were waiting for your friend to pick you up." He already knew that his friend came to pick him up, but Yugi hadn't seen him when he left. Now, he just needed to slowly get close to his mate. If this had been back in the old times that Yami was raised in, he would've simply claimed the boy already. But this was a new era and those laws were long forgotten as if they never existed.

"Yes, my friend came shortly after you left," Yugi replied. "But are you sure you're okay?"

"I'll be fine," Yami assured him.

"Yugi, we should finish shopping so we can get to your house and start cooking," Ryou reminded him quietly.

"Oh, right. Sorry, but we have to hurry. It was nice seeing you again," Yugi told the older man and bowed in apology.

Yami couldn't help but smile at his little mate. How he wished he could just take him away from her. _Good things come to those who wait…_ he told himself. It was when he looked his mate over again that he noticed something. "That's a strange pendant…"

Yugi looked down at the Millennium Puzzle that was hanging around his neck on a chain. "Oh this? My grandfather gave this to me when he was exploring a ruin in Egypt. It belonged to Pharaoh Yami when he was the ruler. I managed to put it together a few years ago."

The former pharaoh felt his heart drop in panic. How had humans gotten into the ruins? Weren't Marik and Bakura living there? And Mahad as well? How could humans have gotten the Millennium Items? He looked over at Ryou and also noticed another item. "The Millennium Ring…"

Ryou looked down at his pendant then back at him. "So you know about the Millennium Items? My father found this when I was little and gave it to me."

"Those items didn't burn either of you?" Yami asked them.

Yugi looked confused. "Burn us? Why would the items burn us?"

"It was said that those with no pureness in their souls would be burned by the items," Yami explained. "And do you know why they were created?"

"Well, I've read the myth stories on the Millennium Items and it was said that they were needed to seal a great evil that had threatened to consume the world in darkness," Yugi answered. "But those are just myths."

"We really should get going, Yugi," Ryou reminded him again.

"Oh yes! I'm sorry, Yami, but we really need to get going," Yugi apologized.

"It's fine. Go ahead and finish your shopping. Perhaps we'll see each other again and we can talk about the Millennium Items more," Yami said.

The smaller boy sighed. "I really am sorry, but you're right. I'm sure we'll see each other again," he said, smiling at the older male. "Especially if you and Mokuba stop by the café once in a while. I'm sure we'll meet again."

"Until then, be safe," Yami told him then walked away from the two teens. He noticed that the white-haired boy was still looking at him suspiciously and didn't say anything as he and Yugi walked off. He tried looking into the boy's mind, but like Yugi, the boy had a strong barrier. If he tried to break it, Ryou would know. Seems there was more to Yugi and his friends than meets the eye. He could only what the rest of his friends were like.

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"You plan on seeing that man again?" Ryou asked his friend as he helped his friend cook dinner. "He seems suspicious to me…"

"Well, he's a friend of Mokuba and Noah," Yugi pointed out. "And they're not so bad."

Ryou frowned a little. "I don't know. I feel like something is…off about him."

"Off about whom?" Ishizu asked as she walked in the kitchen. Instead of her usual straight hairstyle, her hair was pulled back into a loose braid which was probably Kisara's doing and wearing a casual long blue dress that matched her blue eyes. "You seem troubled, Ryou. Is something wrong?"

"Ishizu, what do you know about the Millennium Items? Are they supposed to burn anyone that grabs them if their soul is not pure?" Yugi asked.

She started cutting a tomato after rinsing it and answered. "I do remember reading somewhere that people with absolute darkness in their souls couldn't hold the items since it would burn them. But of course, it's just a myth. Why do you ask?"

"I had never heard of that story," Yugi told her. "And the reason why the Millennium Items were created was to seal a great evil, right?"

"Yes," she replied. "But that little piece was lost and no one knows exactly what that evil was. I'm hoping on this next expedition, I'll be able to find some answers."

"You're going on an expedition? When are you leaving?" Yugi asked.

"In about two months," she answered. "Odion will stay here with Malik since he has school. I don't know when we'll be back. The ruins we're going to is big. We might actually be able to find something about Pharaoh Yami instead of these myths. I know we'll find something…"

"Did you see it? In a vision?" He knew she would be able to see something thanks to her Millennium Necklace that allowed her to see into the future. Though she admitted the future she saw could be altered if a different decision was made. It also gave her visions of the past if she were to touch an artifact from then.

"The vision was very blurry," she replied. "I saw myself in the ruins yet when I tried to see who was with me, the vision ended."

"Don't worry, dear sister," a voice said from the living room. Malik walked in the kitchen, leaning on the counter near his older sister. "We know you'll be okay. You've gotten yourself out of bad situations before. But I doubt anything will happen."

"Hey! Is the food ready? I'm starving over here!" Joey shouted from the living room.

Mai snorted, rolling her at him. "What a mutt."

"Who are you calling a mutt, ya prissy witch?" he shouted at her then an argument between him and Mai began while everyone either ignored them or watched in amusement.

"I guess we better hurry up," Yugi said with a laugh. Right now he would push away all his concerns and focus on having a fun time with his friends. As he was setting the table with the food, he saw everyone sitting in various parts of the living room. Kisara, Serenity, and Rebecca were sitting together and talking to each other. Joey was sitting on the floor closest to the TV with Tristan and Amane and was arguing with Mai, who was sitting on the large couch with Valon, Alister, Téa, and Mikey. Odion was sitting across from his grandpa and the two were playing Duel Monsters and talking to each other.

This is what he enjoyed the most. Being with his friends no matter where they were. These days, it was rare for all of them to not be busy on the same day. Whether it was their part time jobs, school, or other errands, Yugi was glad that he and his friends remained close no matter what.

Ryou, Ishizu, and Malik finished putting the rest of the food on the table. "Dinner's ready," Yugi announced.

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Yami was watching them through the window while he stood across from the home. The house was certainly small for a two story house, but watching Yugi and his friends sit around the room, whether it be on the sofa or floor, made the house look like home. The shop connected to the home was just as small, but he could tell the store had a lot of valuable items.

The boy who looked like his comrade, Ryou was sitting with a girl that looked almost just like him. Yami was assuming was his sister by the way the two were talking to each other along with their friends. His eyes landed on another figure that looked eerily similar to another comrade of his. He looked just like Marik, but like Ryou, the boy seemed more innocent. Yet he could sense great power in the boy. The boy looked outside and looked directly at…Yami?

He knew the boy couldn't see him since he made himself invisible yet the boy seemed like he was able to see him. Then boy turned away and talked to an older man that had hieroglyphic tattoos on his face. The older man looked out where the boy was pointing and tried to focus on the spot that the boy pointed out. Yami knew that man must've had some shadow powers otherwise he wouldn't be trying to focus so hard on finding him. He would have to investigate that family. It seemed the two were brothers and he knew that it means the woman in the blue dress was their sister. Though it seemed the woman pale skin, moon white hair, and blue eyes also seemed like she was a sister to them too. _How odd…_ he thought.

After a few more minutes, he left. Yugi's friends were a unique bunch indeed. He could see why Mokuba decided to go to school just to see them. They were interesting to watch. And now, he had a mate. Though it would take him some time to claim him, Yami had to wait and bide his time. After two thousand years of suffering alone, he could afford to be patient to let Yugi know him personally.

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Slowly putting the chapters on the website. If you wish to read up to date, go to my fanfiction page to read all the chapters. It just takes me forever to update here cause I have to go back and manually edit everything like the parts that need to be bold and italics, etc. So please be patient with me!:)

Anyways, up to date on status, I'm thinking about making this into a series. Like this will be Yami and Yugi's story and then have each couple have a story of their own. What do you think? Leave a comment on your thoughts about it.:)


	3. Chapter 3

**Warnings**

Bakura and Marik madness  
Mild violence  
Blood - mentioned

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It had been a week since Yugi last saw Yami. A week since the voice stopped talking to him, almost as if he knew Yugi and his friends had been ready to fight a mental battle to see who he was. Since then, Yugi had been focusing on getting ready for the spring semester of school. Joey had decided to stay in school despite working two jobs and the exhaustion was slowly getting to him. Yugi could only hope that his friend would be okay. He'd tried offering his home as a place to live for Joey and Serenity, but Joey had disagreed, saying that his father would only try to hurt Yugi and his grandpa. How he wished that someone could rescue Joey from the hellhole that he called a home. He'd seen the bruises and broken bones that Joey had on a weekly basis. One week his shoulder would be out of place and then a rib or two would be broken the next.

The only people who knew about Joey's life were Yugi, Solomon, and Tristan. Serenity, of course, knew about it since she lived with Joey and their father, but Joey always made sure she was always safe and unharmed. Yugi knew Joey would never forgive himself if something were to happen to her. And now with her eyesight slowly getting worse, he knew his friend would feel guilty forever if he wasn't able to get the money for her surgery.

He sighed, as he continued to thump his pen against his notepad. It was a beautiful day outside and his classes were over so he decided to sit at an empty table outside near the library. His friends still had classes right now and they'd all agreed to have lunch together. So he would just have to wait until they were done.

"Hello again…," a voice called out to him.

Yugi looked up, seeing Yami standing before him. "Yami, hello," he greeted. "You attend Domino University too? I had Mokuba in my last class."

The older man nodded, sitting across from him. "Yes, he's the one that actually convinced me to attend school so here I am. Are you done with your classes for today?"

"Yes. Luckily for me I got all morning classes. I'm just waiting for my friends to finish their class right now so we can all go to lunch. Are you meeting up with Mokuba or Noah later?" he asked.

Yami nodded. "Yes. Noah is already out, but he said he'll meet up with me and Mokuba."

"That's good," Yugi said. Something about Yami looked and sounded so familiar to Yugi, but he couldn't put his finger on it. And why did he feel…complete? Like there was a piece of him missing that he never knew about. Yugi continued to look at the man, noting the differences between them. They did look similar, but Yami was about a head taller than Yugi, more muscular, and he was a little tanner than he was. "Where are you from?"

The older man blinked, having not expected Yugi to ask that. "Egypt," he replied.

"Egypt? You don't look Egyptian," Yugi said.

"Is it because I'm pale?" Yami asked with a smirk.

"No!" Yugi accidentally shouted. "I-I mean my friend Malik and his family are from Egypt and his older sister is paler than a ghost. They said no matter how long she stays out in the sun, she never tans. I'm sorry if I offended you."

Yami chuckled, shaking his head. "It's okay, Yugi," he assured. He saw that the boy was wearing the Millennium Puzzle around his neck, just like he used to before he sealed it away with the other Millennium Items. "So you said your grandfather gave the Millennium Puzzle to you as a gift?"

Yugi nodded. "Yes. He told me it was one of the few Millennium Items left. As you know, Ryou has the Millennium Ring. My grandfather found it a few years when he was looking through some ruins believed to be the Kingdom of the Dragons."

"The Kingdom of the Dragons? It's a myth?" Had humans really made him and his people into nothing but myths? Then again, it was probably better if they stayed like that. Only he and his friends remained along with a few more dragons living on an island just a few miles away from Domino City. "Do you believe it's a myth?"

The younger boy shrugged. "I don't know. My grandpa would tell me stories and said that all myths come from some form of truth. If it were true then history needs to be corrected." He heard his phone ringing and answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey, Yugi! I'm finally out of class," Joey told him. "I'm meeting up with Tristan. Are you meeting up with Ryou and the others?"

"Sure, I think I'm close to Amane's class," he replied. "How about you and Tristan go to Burger World and save us a spot? We'll be there soon. It seems like class is over. We'll see you there."

"Alright, see ya!" Joey said before he hung up.

Yugi stood up and gathered his stuff. "I'm sorry. But I told my friends I would meet up with them. Do you wanna join us while you wait for Mokuba?"

Yami was about to answer when he heard his phone ring. Mahad's name appeared on the screen and Yami knew that Mahad only called for two reasons, his annual checkup or if there was an emergency. "Mahad, what is it?"

"My pharaoh…the seal is broken…," Mahad said gravely.

"But how?" Yami shouted. "You and the others were guarding it. How could it be broken?"

"I don't know. It must've been broken when the humans came here exploring the ruins a few years ago. I couldn't stop them. I had to keep Marik and Bakura sealed. The darkness is eating away at them, especially Bakura. I had to either focus on stopping the humans from exploring and risk those two causing chaos, or focus on keeping them sealed and letting the humans explore," Mahad explained. "And I knew you wouldn't want the two of them dead."

"Alright, how far are you from here?" Yami asked.

"We're not too far so we'll be there soon. I had to keep these two sealed so I'm carrying them," Mahad told him. "I'll be flying to your mansion. I take it you'll be there?"

"Yes, I'll be there. I'll see you soon." Yami hung up and looked over at Yugi, who was looking at him with curious eyes. "My apologies. I must leave as well. An important errand came up that I must attend to."

Yugi shook his head and smiled, making Yami's heart feel lighter. "It's fine. I hope everything is okay. You looked panicked. But since we attend the same school, I'm more than sure we'll see each other every day now. So I'll see you later?"

Yami nodded, feeling a smile form on his face. It felt a little weird since he hadn't really smiled in so long, but it was all thanks to this boy standing in front of him. "Yes, I'll see you later," he said then left.

Yugi watched him as he walked away, noticing how relaxed he might've looked to everyone yet Yugi could see the tension in him. He wondered what could've made Yami so panicked. He'd tried reading his mind, but found that it was blocked off. Yugi didn't want to try and risk breaking it. But now that he thought about it… _Why does Yami have a mind block? He couldn't possibly be…_ Yugi thought to himself. He thought about the man that had talked to him a week ago mind to mind. The deep voice, those dark ruby red eyes that night…they all reminded him of Yami now that he thought about it.

 _Wait a minute…did he say Mahad?_ Yugi pulled out a book that he had about the myths of Pharaoh Yami and his comrades being dragons. He saw the name on the page. "Mahad…best friend and right hand man of the pharaoh. The strongest wizard in the whole world…," Yugi read then looked down at the rest of the names, remembering that Yami said he had a friend named Bakura. Sure enough, he saw the name. "The king of thieves, Bakura. Joined Yami's group of fighters after his family was killed in the Kul Elna Massacre." He continued to read the story seeing other names, but it wasn't until he saw two familiar names that he really started thinking something wasn't…a myth. "Mokuba Kaiba, biological younger brother of Set and Seto Kaiba and adopted younger brother to Noah Kaiba. Never knew his father and mother died in childbirth." He remembered one of the conversations he had with Mokuba regarding his family.

_"Mokuba, what do your parents do?" Yugi asked._

_Mokuba's face didn't change nor did the emotionless look in his eyes. "My parents are dead. My father left after I was born and my mother died giving birth to me. Noah's father adopted my older brothers and I shortly after."_

_"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that…," Yugi apologized. "My mother also died giving birth to me. My father died in an accident not too long after. My grandpa is the only family I have left. So Noah is your adopted brother? And you have two other brothers?"_

_The other boy nodded. "Yes. Two older brothers that are twins, Set and Seto," he replied._

This was too…coincidental. Could it be that the myths he'd grown up reading were really…real?

"Yugi!" a voice called out to him, bringing him out of his thoughts. He saw Amane standing there with Serenity and Ryou. "Are you okay? You looked lost in thought."

"I'm fine," he answered. "Just thinking about something."

"Well come on," she said. "We're meeting at Marik's car and Joey texted us saying he and Tristan will meet us at Burger World."

He nodded and walked with them. He knew that he had to do more research on the subject later. He didn't want to worry his friends. But everything that he just read and remembered from last week was too suspicious to ignore.

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Yami was approaching his mansion when he saw a figure standing in front of it. Mahad stood before him with the two coffins containing their comrades. "My pharaoh, it's been a long time," Mahad said with a bow.

"Mahad, you don't have to be so formal. I'm no longer a pharaoh. I'm now just Yami Atem," he said. "It's good to see you again."

"Forgive me, my phar-Yami," Mahad corrected himself. "Despite your short time of being a pharaoh, it's still a habit of mine to call you that."

"How is it that the seal was broken?" Yami asked, getting straight to the point.

"I don't know," Mahad answered. "I knew humans were exploring the ruins a few years ago, but I did not think they would reach as far as they did. Not with all the traps guarding the Millennium Items and with the sealing magic being written in our ancient language. Forgive me, my pharaoh. I should've checked for myself to see if the seal was still intact along with Millennium Items."

"There's no need to apologize. It was bound to happen sooner or later," Yami stated, looking at the coffins holding their comrades. "And…how are they?"

Mahad looked at the one containing Bakura. "The darkness is eating away at whatever part of his soul is left. We're losing him, Yami. My powers can't do anything to save him, even Shadi tried to help him, but there's nothing we can do."

Yami walked over to the coffin, laying a hand on it. He could sense the darkness emanating from it and knew that Mahad was almost right. The darkness in Bakura had always been stronger than the light in him thanks to his harsh life and the death of his family. And after giving away what little light he had to seal their enemies, the darkness in him only got stronger. "Bakura, can you hear me?"

 _ **Of course I can hear you, you pathetic pharaoh.**_ Bakura snapped. Despite having lost his emotions, his voice still held that angry edge in it.

"You can't give into the darkness. There's hope for us. After two thousand years of waiting, I've finally found my light," Yami told him, hoping that it might at least get through that Bakura had a mate out there.

 _ **And…? You expect a congratulations from me? Don't make me laugh. Not that you could even if you tried. Tell that weakling, Mahad, to let me out of here. I don't want to sleep like this.**_ Bakura said.

"Do you and Marik swear to not cause trouble? You know all of us have to vote for that," Yami told him. "If you and Marik can't be stabled then we'll have no choice but to have Mahad seal you two again."

"You don't really plan on letting those psychotic animals out, do you?" Duke Devlin asked as he approached the mansion with the Kaiba brothers. He still looked the same after two thousand years, only dressed in modern clothing like everyone else. "There's a good reason why Mahad sealed them."

"Our enemies are free, Duke. We need as many of us as possible to stop them," Yami said.

Set looked at Mahad. "How is it that the seal is broken and the Millennium Items are missing? Weren't you and the two psychos supposed to be watching over this?"

The darkness in Mahad began to get more powerful as he looked at the former priest. "I was keeping our world safe by keeping these two sealed. Had I left them, they would be out causing chaos by now. The darkness in them is enough to make the very world tremble in fear. And I did not know of the seal being broken until I saw…the Diabound on my way here. It attacked me, but luckily I managed to escape. Had I stayed and fought, I would've lost these two forever. If the Diabound was there then the other warriors fighting for our enemy were probably not too far away."

Seto narrowed his eyes, looking at the two coffins. "Why would they want these two? They're weak."

Mahad glared at the former lord for thinking that the two men locked in the coffins were weak though he couldn't feel the anger. "Weak, you say? Fine. I shall let them out…"

"Mahad, don't!" Yami said in panic. "If you do that-"

"Then everyone here will know what I've been keeping sealed for five hundred years," Mahad stated as he pressed his hands together in front of him and started chanting. The symbols that had been on the coffins were now disappearing and the darkness in their friends started getting stronger. Yami looked at the coffins, watching the doors of them disintegrate into nothingness.

Magic chains were still around them and it appeared that they were sleeping. Bakura's snapped opened, glaring at the people in front of him. His dark brown eyes still had the hard look in them they'd always had before he lost emotions. "Is there a reason why Marik and I are being treated like this? We've been good, haven't we?"

Everyone looked at Marik, who appeared to be sleeping. But the darkness in him was forming a sinister, dark violet aura around him, showing everyone just how strong it was inside him. Even as he appeared to be peaceful, Yami was still frightened of him. Then again, being the former executioner, he would always intimidate anyone that crossed his path. Like Bakura, Marik was a very sadistic and he enjoyed watching others suffer whether it be physically or psychologically. Yami remembered Marik would take his time in executing a person ranging from ten hours to a whole week. The person would be begging for death by one hour to the point that they could no longer scream or speak. Of course, Marik would kill them before they could even process that they were dying. Yami felt his stomach hurl at the thought of the execution room. He'd never seen a room so…covered in blood.

 _ **Let me out.**_ Bakura ordered.

He shook his head to get the images out of his mind and to focus on the matter at hand. "You know we have to vote, Bakura…"

"You're not seriously thinking about letting these two free, are you?" Duke asked the former pharaoh. "If you let them out-"

"Then our enemies will have an advantage over us," Yami interrupted and narrowed his eyes at them. "We need them."

"Do you not see how powerful they are?" Set asked.

"I thought you said they were weak?" Mahad shot back at the former priest. "Now that you see how powerful they are, I'm sure you see that it takes even more power to seal them. This is what I've been keeping sealed for five hundred years. Had I let them free at any point, they would've disintegrated more than just those doors to the coffins."

 _ **Why are you weaklings shouting? Can't an executioner sleep in peace…?**_ Marik's voice said in their minds.

"Marik," Yami said calmly so as not to set Marik off. "If you don't help us, there won't be a place for you to sleep. The seal has been broken and our enemies are going to cover the world in darkness once again. You have to help us…"

 _ **There's no hope left, you fool. It's been two thousand years since I gave up what little light I had to save this wretched world. And how do the gods repay us? By taking away our emotions and sight of colors. Without our mates, there's no way we can win.**_ Marik told him.

Yami shared the images of Yugi and let Marik feel the emotions he was feeling, sharing it with everyone. "There is hope…," Yami said quietly. "After two thousand years, I've finally found my mate. There's a chance your mate is out there, Marik. You have to try."

 _ **What part of "no hope left" do you not understand? My soul is far too damaged to have someone so pure and innocent. Let me rest…**_ Marik said, almost as if _he_ was asking for death.

"I can't let you rest, Marik," Yami stated, thinking of the young boy that looked like his comrade. He hoped that the boy could be Marik's light and could save him from the darkness that was threatening to consume his entire being. "Will you fight with us?"

"Pharaoh, surely you're not serious about this?" Set asked him. "He's crazy and mad. Just because you found your mate doesn't mean he, or the rest of us for that matter, will find ours. It would take us centuries just to search the entire world for our mates. We're cursed by the gods."

"Or perhaps the gods have sent us our light in our time of need," Yami countered. "Yugi has the Millennium Puzzle in his possession. And three of his friends have the Millennium Ring, the Millennium Rod, and the Millennium Necklace. You can't tell me that all of them being in this city are just a coincidence?"

Mokuba looked down then at his brothers and friends. "I thought it was strange that the puzzle and the ring didn't burn Yugi and Ryou, but I never thought they could possible mates for any of us. Do you think it's possible that all of them are mates to any of us?"

Yami sighed. "I don't know. Joey, Tristan, Serenity, and Amane appear to be normal. They have mind barriers protecting them but they don't appear to be aware of it. Not like Yugi and the others. He's telepathic. It's difficult to read his mind."

"Do you really believe the rest of us have a chance?" Mahad asked quietly. "I don't wish to doubt you, but it's been two thousand years since the war…we're the only ones left aside from the ones living on the island just outside Domino City. Our people might as well be extinct. No one knows about us let alone the suffering we've endured to keep this world safe. Do you really believe the gods have blessed us with mates now in this time? Especially now that our enemies are back? My pharaoh, I want to believe our prayers have finally been answered, but…will our mates be killed in this upcoming battle?"

That was it…Yami knew if they could feel it, they would be fearing the possible loss of their mate should their enemies learn about it. He was scared right now as they spoke for Yugi's safety. And if their enemies found out about him…Yami would have no choice but to claim Yugi as soon as possible. He didn't want to go back to that life of nothingness. Not after finding his mate and waiting for this long. "If we protect them well enough then they'll be fine. I know that's what all of you are afraid of. That if you find your mate then they'll be killed and you'll have nothing left."

"Won't it be too great of a risk?" Duke asked. "Are you willing to risk you and your mate's safety, knowing that our enemies will be hunting us down every chance they get?"

"Aren't you supposed to be the gambler, Duke?" Yami asked. "You know as well as I do that there will always be that risk. But you know the list of pros far outweighs the cons. As long as I have Yugi, I don't need anything else." He looked back at Bakura and Marik. The former executioner still appeared to be sleeping, but he knew Marik was very much aware of what was going on. "So I ask you again, Bakura and Marik…will you fight with us?"

Bakura just lied there, giving him the same look that everyone was giving him. After a few seconds, he gave Yami an emotionless grin while the darkness in him grew more powerful. The chains that had been binding him disintegrated along with the rest of the coffin and he stood before the former pharaoh. "Of course I'll fight," he stated. "So long as I get to kill them once and for all this time. Even if I don't find my light."

There's one. Yami thought then looked at Marik. "And Marik…? Will you join us in this battle as well?"

Everyone looked at him as they waited for his answer. Yami could feel the darkness in him growing as well. At this point, he could only hope he was right about one of Yugi's friends being his light.

Dark lavender eyes snapped opened. "So…who do I get to kill?"

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Joey spat out his drink in shock as he, Serenity, Tristan, and Yugi were driving to Yugi's house. "What do ya mean someone else was talking to you in your head? It wasn't Malik playing a trick on ya or something?"

Tristan shook his head as he drank his slush. "That telepathic hoodoo is way beyond me," he muttered.

"Me and you both buddy," Joey agreed.

"But…how would someone know about you being able to talk like that?" Serenity asked.

Yugi shrugged as Joey pulled up to the game shop. "I'm not sure. But I'm going to find out who it is," he stated. "He sounds familiar…"

"Well, don't get yourself into any trouble," Joey told him as he stopped the car. "See ya later. Tell Gramps I said hi."

"I will. Be careful on the way home," he told his friends as he got out of the car. He watched them drive off then walked to the door. "Grandpa, I'm…home…"

Yugi was shocked at the sight that greeted him. Shelves were broken, the showcases were broken as well with the contents thrown to the floor, but the cash register was oddly untouched. He ran further inside to the living room, seeing the lamps broken with other furniture thrown out of place. _What happened here?_ He thought. "Grandpa!" He ran upstairs seeing the obvious signs of a struggle. There were scratch marks on the walls. "Grandpa, where are you?"

He ran to his grandfather's room, not seeing any signs of him. Who would break into their shop and not steal the obvious things like their TVs or try to open the cash register? Was his grandfather…kidnapped?

 _That's impossible. Grandpa doesn't have any enemies._ Yugi thought to himself. He walked further into his grandpa's room and nearly fell when he slipped on something on the floor. Taking a closer look at it, he saw that it was red and thick…like blood. He felt his stomach hurl at the sight of it. _No, no, NO! Grandpa you can't be…you just can't!_

"Ah, I see you've finally come home," a voice sneered behind him. Yugi turned around to see a man in a red suit and mask with black and blue stripes on it along with a hat that matched. "So the old man was lying."

"Who are you? Where's my grandpa?" Yugi asked angrily.

The man took off his hat and bowed. "My name is Arkana, famed magician and servant of Zorc," he replied then stood up straight. "As for your grandfather, I'm sure the other servants are having fun torturing him for answers."

"Answers for what?" Yugi shouted. "My grandpa doesn't know anything that's worth killing him over!"

"The Millennium Puzzle? Zorc wants it and you," Arkana said, smiling maniacally. "To see the look on the Yami's face as we sacrifice you will be priceless! I can't wait to see his hopes be stepped on."

"Y-Yami? What does Yami have to do with this?" Yugi asked, slowly backing away. There was no other way out except the window and the man was blocking the other way.

"Oh dear, do you not know?" Arkana asked as if he were talking to a child. "I guess as a pharaoh there's not much to talk about since he didn't rule for that long…but yes, little Yugi. All those myths that you oh so love reading about are true. The war, the magic, everything! And now that Master Zorc is back, he'll take over this world and your beloved pharaoh and his lackeys will be gone forever!"

Before Yugi could react, he was suddenly into the wall and felt a strong grip around his neck. He kicked his leg out and made contact with the older man's torso, causing him to loosen his grip. Yugi took the chance to run out of the room and ran as fast as he could. He felt a sharp pain from his leg run through him and fell to the ground. "What the…?" He looked down, seeing a knife in his calf.

"Now now, we can't have you running off now, can we?" Arkana said mockingly while twirling another knife in his hand. "Even though that slowed you down, I should make sure you won't try to do anything with your hands…" He threw another knife at the young boy's right shoulder causing Yugi to cry out loudly in pain.

Yugi slowly pulled the knife out and clutched at his shoulder to try and keep the blood from flowing. "W-Why are you doing this?" He started to feel dizzy from the blood loss, unable to focus on the man. The blood was flowing in between his fingers and he'd forgotten about that there was still a knife in his leg.

"Because…I want my beloved back," Arkana answered. "Master Zorc said if I give you to him and kill Yami then he'll bring her back to me."

"And you think Zorc will bring her back if you do this?" a voice asked from behind him.

Yugi looked to where the voice came from, seeing a familiar face before he passed out. "…Yami…"

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Okay sorry slow update on this site. Like I said, if you wanna get the up to date then go fanfiction.net and read it. But I'm working on getting it updated here!

Like it so far?


	4. Chapter 4

**Warnings**

Puzzleshipping – Rated K  
Puppyshipping – mentioned  
Mild blood

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"You shouldn't have brought him here," Seto sneered as he looked at the human lying in Yami's bed. "Bringing him here is a risk to you."

"He's my mate," Yami pointed out as he brushed his hand over Yugi's hair. "I couldn't take him to a human hospital and leave him there unprotected. Not with Arkana after him. They already have his grandfather."

"He's going to get us killed," Seto said. "You're asking us to risk our lives for this… _human?_ "

Yami glared at him, fighting off his transformation. "He is my mate, Seto Kaiba. And no one told _you_ that you need to protect him. He's my responsibility."

"And you're our responsibility," Seto shot back. "If you die then what is there for the rest of us?"

"Our people are all but extinct," Yami said quietly. "I knew if I were to have a mate that most likely it would be a human. But Yugi is not an ordinary human. He has special powers of his own and can use magic."

"He's still a weak fragile human," Seto argued. "No matter if he can use magic, he will always be human. Even if you bind your soul to his, he will never be as strong as we are."

The pharaoh gave him a cold look. "I don't need him to be physically strong. I need him to just stay safe. He's my light, Seto. I can't afford to lose him after so many years of waiting. Do you not see that there's hope for us now?" He tried to show Seto how it felt to feel the hope he felt, but the man's mind was sealed shut. As if he was hiding something. "Why do you keep your mind shut like you do? It's one thing to keep it closed off, but to keep the barrier up as if you're afraid someone will find out something that they're not supposed to is another…"

" _Shut up,_ " Seto growled. The way he said it…he was _feeling_ anger.

Yami broke through his barrier and saw everything in the former priest's mind. "By the gods…you already found your mate," he said in shock. He recognized the boy as one of Yugi's friends. "Joseph Wheeler? He's your mate? Why have you not claimed him?"

Seto growled at the mention of his mate's name and looked away. "Because he's a mutt," he said coolly. "He's weak and pathetic and a complete mongrel. He has no manners whatsoever. I will not have someone like that as my mate. You expect me to take someone as pathetic as him as my mate?"

"But he's yours," Yami pointed out. "There will be no other for you. If he dies then you'll be all alone for eternity…"

"I'm looking forward to it," Seto stated. "It's better than having someone like him by my side for the rest of my existence. He's loud, obnoxious, and useless. He's not even that smart."

"He's going to school," Yami said. "I saw his mind, Seto. That boy has gone through hardships none of us have even dreamed of. Are you going to let him continue to live like that? He's selfless, caring, and willing to risk anything for his sister and friends. He's working so much to the point that he's almost about break just so he can save money for his sister's eye operation."

"Eye operation?" Seto asked, looking very much surprised. "His sister needs an eye operation?"

"Have you not read his mind? He does have a barrier, but it's not developed enough to block us from it. I was able to read his mind very easily," Yami explained.

"Why would I read his mind? He's useless," Seto said. "All he ever did was try to pick a fight with me whenever we went to school together. Of course I'm the CEO of Kaiba Corp. and he's nothing but a penniless mongrel. He'll be lucky if he can even graduate from university. His friends had to tutor him throughout high school and he still barely managed to pass."

Yami turned away from him and looked at Yugi's sleeping face. He couldn't help but feel sorry for Seto and Joey. His old friend was determined to remain alone and leave Joey alone. And Joey would never know true love. Seto didn't know of the abusive life Joey was living through. He'd sensed the boy's exhaustion. He could even see the bruises that the blonde boy tried so hard to cover. The wince he would make once in a while as he touched his ribs. "You're damning him to a lonely existence."

"And you think I care?" Seto asked. "I'm damned knowing that I had some hope, but that hope turned out to be nothing but a mortal who's not smart, no manners, and is loud." He walked away before Yami could say anything else.

He shook his head as he looked at Yugi. He would never treat his precious Little Light like that. He would do everything in his power to ensure Yugi's happiness and safety. He'd rather rip his heart out before he would hurt Yugi. And his heart couldn't help but feel heavy with sorrow for his comrade. If only he knew of Joey's true personality. Seto was all about loyalty and Joey would've been the most loyal person to have beside him.

But there was nothing he could. As much as he wanted to help Yugi's friend, Yami had to protect his mate. Trying to force Seto to accept Joey would only end up in an unnecessary argument and possible fight. He lied down next to his mate opting to rest while he could. He hadn't been able to sleep since the attack two days ago. He'd been so worried about Yugi's health after getting stabbed though the wounds weren't serious. But he wasn't used to feeling worry.

For now, he would rest. He needed all the energy he could get once Yugi woke up. He was certain his mate would have questions.

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"Where the hell could he be?" Joey said to himself as he walked through a neighborhood, looking for his best friend. It had been two days since Yugi and his grandfather went missing. The police only told them that there were signs of a struggle and blood in Solomon's room. Solomon's own blood at that. Since then, Joey and the others had been looking all over Domino to see if there were any signs of Yugi and Solomon but so far to no avail. Joey knew they couldn't count on the police for too long. He'd been hanging around the streets long enough to know how the police worked. "Where are you, Yugi…?"

"Does it matter?" Standing before Joey was his dream and nightmare, Seto Kaiba. Since day one, the two of them were very antagonistic to each other. Joey couldn't stand how cocky the rich boy acted and belittled him every time.

"What do ya want, Moneybags?" Joey asked, glaring at the man. "I ain't got time for you for right now. So I'll just leave." He started to walk pass the man, but Seto grabbed his wrist.

"Does your friend Yugi really matter that much to you?" Seto asked, not bothering to look at him. He didn't want to see Joey. Looking at him would only make him want to claim the blonde boy even more. He could already feel the dragon inside clawing at him to claim his mate. It was taking everything in him right now to keep himself from running off with the young boy. "He's safe."

Joey's eyes widened in shock and looked at him. "Yugi? You know where he is? Where is he?"

"Safe. Just know that much," Seto replied then released his wrist. "An associate of mine managed to save him in time before he was captured and has been helping him recover."

"What happened to him?" Joey demanded and grabbed Seto's arm to keep him from walking away. "Is he alright?"

Seto growled and yanked his arm away. "Don't touch me, you mongrel."

Joey didn't back away and pushed him against a nearby wall. "Damn it, Kaiba! I don't have time to deal with your shit! Tell me where Yugi is!" Before he could react, he was suddenly slammed into the wall, enough to knock the wind out of him and make him a little dizzy. The cut on his arm that had been wrapped was bleeding again from the impact.

"I told you, Wheeler. _Don't_ touch me," Seto snarled. The scent of blood hit him as he kept Joey pinned to the wall. When he pulled his hand away, he noticed Joey was holding his arm and grimaced like something was hurting. He knew Joey had a high tolerance for pain and rarely showed any indication that he was hurt so to actually see him reacting like this was something new. "What's wrong, Mutt? Can't even take a little push to the wall?"

Joey didn't bother to say anything and began walking away. He needed to go re-bandage his injury before any of his friends saw this or worst, his sister. She would freak out if she saw this though it wasn't the worst injury he'd gotten, but it would leave a scar and would continue to bleed out if he didn't care for it properly.

"I asked you a question," Seto stated as he watched the blonde slowly walk away.

The blonde gritted his teeth as he fought back from giving the older man a smartass answer. "Maybe when I'm not injured I'll answer it." He gasped when he saw that Seto was suddenly in front of him. "What do ya want? I'm leaving-HEY!"

Seto pulled the green jacket down to see what was wrong and saw what he'd been hiding underneath. It looked a lot worse than a scratch. It had to be about be about eight inches covering most of the length of his upper arm. The cut was not too deep, but it would need stitches. It almost looked like someone took a knife to him. "You need to go to a doctor and get stitches," he said calmly then looked at him. "It's not going to heal properly if you just wrap it in bandages like this. It's already infected."

Joey glared at him and tried to pull his arm back. "Whatever. I'll just put some alcohol or peroxide on it." He managed to get free and pushed him out of the way as he began walking again. _I gotta find Yugi. If Seto knows where Yugi's at then maybe Mokuba or Noah know. I'll just ask them. Better than asking their stupid cocky brother._ He had walked a few blocks before someone grabbed him from behind and shoved him into a car. "What the hell? Get off me!" He tried to kick at the person, but they managed to dodge it.

"Calm down, Wheeler," Seto said. "I'm taking you to the hospital to get that injury treated."

"I don't want your help!" he yelled at him. "Let me out, Kaiba!"

"You don't want my help, but you _need_ my help," Seto countered. "And plus, I'll tell you where Yugi is if you do this."

The younger boy calmed down and sat as far away from as possible. As much as he didn't want Seto's help, he needed it only because he was the only one who knew where Yugi was. "Fine. I'll go along with this. Now where's Yugi?"

"First, we get that stitched up then I'll tell you where he is," Seto said then closed his eyes to gather his thoughts and to show Joey that the conversation was over.

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Yugi woke up in a panic after having a nightmare. He looked around the room, noticing that it wasn't his room or any room that he was familiar with. He could see from the window that it was daylight, probably around midafternoon. "Where am I?" This room wasn't familiar at all to him. It was very old fashioned and big. He saw something move out of the corner of his eye and saw Yami sleeping next to him. "Y-Yami?"

The older man stirred and opened his eyes. "What time is it?" he groaned. He rolled over, seeing Yugi's concern face looking at him. "You're awake."

He nodded. "Where am I? What happened to Arkana? Do you know where my grandpa is?" He could feel the panic rising inside him. He remembered there was blood…his grandpa's blood. Was his grandpa dead? "Grandpa…"

"Yugi, relax," Yami ordered as he cupped the boy's chin and forced him to look at him. "I promise I will find your grandpa and bring him back to you. But I need you to remain calm so I can check your wounds. They haven't healed yet."

"He said you're the pharaoh," Yugi said then looked at him. He remembered Arkana saying that Yami was indeed _the_ Pharaoh Yami from the myths and that everything was true. "The one from the stories. That they're all true. He's lying…right?"

The older man looked away from him. "I…think you should rest more." He got up to get the stuff he needed to clean Yugi's wounds. A small hand grabbed his wrist.

"I don't need rest. I need answers," Yugi said, looking at him with those large amethyst eyes. "What did that man mean that you're the pharaoh? That legend is two thousand years old. There's no way that you're…is there? And I recognize your voice. You're the one that was talking to me telepathically."

"I am. You've heard the legend of the dragons, correct?" Yami asked.

"After a century of living a dragon loses their ability to see in colors and their emotions. It usually meant that the dragon's soul mate was dead," Yugi replied. "And the dragon had two choices, die peacefully on their own terms or they sold their souls to the darkness for power. If they didn't choose either, they continue their empty existence."

"That's right," Yami confirmed then looked at his soul mate. "Everything Arkana said was true. I am the pharaoh in the stories you read of. I have been alive this whole time along with my comrades." He could see the shock on Yugi's face. He knew being upfront about everything would probably make anyone feel that way and think he was crazy.

A part of Yugi didn't want to believe him, but he saw that there were no signs of Yami lying to him. He could see that Yami was uncomfortable talking about it, but that was probably normal for anyone revealing a secret like this. He merged his mind with the older man and saw all of his memories and gasped. "You've really been alive for two thousand years?"

"Two thousand and twenty years to be exact," Yami answered. He felt Yugi gentle probing of his mind and allowed it so that Yugi could see all of his memories. He hid that they were mates away so that his Little Light wouldn't get frightened. "I was only twenty years old when the war between the dragons and Zorc and his army happened. I had been pharaoh since I was eleven and a few people were not happy that I had been chosen. I never thought they hated that much that they would sell their souls for power. My people have become all but extinct. Only my comrades and I remain as the only pure blooded dragons in the world."

"This war started…because of you?" Yugi asked as he sat near the edge of the bed. Yami walked over to the window and looked out. "Only because you became pharaoh at a young age? And the legends are true?"

"That's right. By the time I was twenty, one of the priests had planned my death. Set and Seto managed to stop him from killing me, but he got away. That's when Zorc attacked," Yami explained. "A few of my followers had turned against me. Arkana was one of them. He's not a dragon like me, but he was a very powerful wizard and he trained under Mahad. However, Arkana started going mad after his mother passed away then when an accident happened that ended up scarring his face he became delusional. His fiancée left him when she realized that there was no hope for him. He asked me for help, but I couldn't force her to stay with him. So for that, he betrayed us. There were others, but I don't know if they're back as well."

"But why did he attack me and my grandpa?" To Yugi none of this made sense. He'd never met Arkana until that night. But his heart felt heavy for Yami. The man looked older now that he heard everything. Those dark ruby red eyes had so much sorrow and had a haunted look. Yugi wanted nothing more than help him push those memories away. After seeing all that he went through made him feel sorry that the man standing before had received nothing for saving the world. "What do I have to do with it?"

"Did you not see in my memories? I was once the keeper of the Millennium Puzzle. Once I gave up my light, I could no longer keep it without it burning me," he admitted. "The darkness in me is strong. I can no longer be the guardian of it no matter how much I wish to be."

Yugi looked at the item hanging around his neck. He remembered when his grandpa had given it to him a few years ago and how he'd put together. He never thought he would meet the original guardian to it. "And why am I here? Why did Arkana attack my grandfather? Why didn't he just take the Millennium Puzzle and go?"

"He was trying to harm me through you," Yami answered quietly. "He knew I wouldn't be able to focus if he had captured you."

"But we barely know each other. I've only known you for a few days," Yugi said. "Why did you talk to me telepathically? What am I to you?" He could feel his heart beating a little faster, a little anxious to what Yami would tell him. After seeing all his memories and his life, he felt comfortable with him, but there was still that part of him that made him a little scared. "I'm your mate, aren't I?" He remembered seeing all of Yami's memories had been black and white…until he met him. He saw that the moment they met, Yami had regained his sight of colors and began to feel emotions again.

The former pharaoh nodded. "Only if you wish to be."

"What do you mean if I wish to be? What are you saying?" he asked.

Yami looked him straight in the eyes as he answered. Wanting his mate to know that he meant the truth. "I will not force you to stay with me if you don't wish to. The only thing I ask is that you stay here until my comrades and I remove these threats to the world. Once that's done, you can decide if you wish to return to your old life or stay with me. The decision will be yours, Yugi."

Yugi got up and limped over to him, ignoring the pain he felt in his leg. "But what will happen to you? You'll be lonely again."

Yami smirked as he shook his head. His heart swelled in happiness as Yugi was still thinking about him despite being presented the option of leaving. "You don't have to concern yourself for my wellbeing, Yugi. My kind is not known for even giving their mates options. Usually we just take our mate away and claim them, no questions asked."

"You're willing to let me go? Even if it means being alone for the rest of your life?" Yugi asked, looking up at him with those big amethyst eyes.

The older man brushed his hair back, running his finger along his cheek and smiled sadly. "I'm willing to do anything to ensure your happiness, Yugi. If it means letting you go, then I will let you go."

Before Yugi could respond the door was opened and a few men walked in. He hid behind Yami and looked at the men in the room. One of them looked like Ryou, but Yugi could feel the darkness coming off him in waves. Like his whole being was nothing but darkness. There was also a man who looked like Malik, but like the man that looked like Ryou, the darkness was strong in him. Then he saw Mokuba along with his brothers and two other men standing not too far from them.

The man who looked like Ryou sneered at them. "Seto told us you brought your mate here. But I didn't think he would be a puny human."

Yami glared at him, growling. "What are all of you doing here?"

Mokuba ignored him and ran over to Yugi. "Are you okay, Yugi? My brother Seto told me what happened. He said he was over here earlier."

"I'm fine," Yugi assured him. "So, you're one of them?"

The black haired boy nodded. "Yes, I'm sorry for not telling you or the others. I didn't think you would end up being Yami's mate."

"Seto has Joey right now. He's taking him to the hospital," Noah informed him.

"What? Joey's going to the hospital? What happened to him?" Yugi asked.

"I'm not sure," Noah replied calmly. "Something about him needing stitches on his arm and that it's infected."

Yami sighed, trying to fight down the jealousy that he was beginning to feel at the way Noah and Mokuba were able to talk to his mate so easily and casually. "Is there a reason why he took Joey to the hospital?" He knew Seto was trying everything in his power to avoid the boy yet he voluntarily helped the boy when he needed it. Perhaps Seto was not as unaffected as he seemed to be. He knew the emptiness one had when not near their mate for too long. And since Joey remained unclaimed, Seto would be feeling that emptiness even more.

"He's planning on telling that boy everything. I saw it in his mind," Set revealed. The look on his face showed that he knew the truth as well about Seto finding Joey.

_**Set, do you know about…?**_ Yami asked.

_**It would be hard for me not to notice. Seto and I are always in each other's mind. I have known this for quite some time now.**_ Set replied. _**And I know he refuses to claim the boy. My brother needs to see that this Joseph Wheeler isn't a bad person. He's quite noble and loyal if you look pass his rudeness. I fear my brother will not be budging any time soon. Don't tell my younger brothers just yet. I think they'll be upset if they find out he's giving up his mate and what little hope any of us have.**_

_**What will you do when you find yours?**_ He knew Set and Seto were very much alike though at the same time they were very different. Set had always been the more approachable one between the two yet he still had the regal look in his eyes and appearance. He was afraid that Set would treat his mate the way Seto was treating his.

_**Don't mix me with my brother. We may be twins, but I'm not like him. If I found my mate, I wouldn't let them go. I would hold onto them as though my life depends on it. My brother may want to live in the darkness, but I don't. I would love and cherish my soul mate and make sure they know it.**_ Set told him.

Yami couldn't help but smile at that. At least he wouldn't have to worry about losing Set. "Do you think you guys can leave Yugi and me alone for a moment? There are some things we need to discuss."

All of them nodded then left the room and closed the door. Yugi looked up at him, teeth tugging at his lower lip nervously. "So…what are we going to do?"

Yami caressed his cheek with a gentle finger, tracing it along his cheekbone. "If you wish, I would like it if you give us a chance. I've waited so long for you and now you're here. I can finally see the enjoyment in life once again," he said.

Yugi knew that wasn't a lie. He'd seen every memory of the man standing before him and couldn't help but feel his heart go out to him. The man had gone through so many years alone, fighting the darkness inside every second despite its tempting whispers to him. And he also felt like a piece of him that he didn't know he was missing had been returned to him. He was a little scared of the future, but he could try to give Yami a chance. He deserved it after keeping the world safe for this long and suffering in the darkness. He smiled up at him, taking his hand into his. "I'm willing to try, Yami. As long as you continue to be honest with me and not hide anything from me. Do I have your word?"

The older man didn't bother responding and hugged the boy close. He buried his face in his hair, inhaling his orchid scent and tried to control the beating of his heart. "Thank you," he whispered. "You have no idea how long I've waited for you."

"I think I might after seeing all of your memories," Yugi said, hugging them back. Despite only knowing each other for a very short period of time, it felt natural to hug him. And he'd seen Yami's resolve to find his grandpa and stop the darkness once and for all. "Do you think my grandpa is still alive?"

"He is," Yami said, cupping his chin and looked him in the eye. "I will find him, Yugi. I promise I will. And I promise I will never hide anything from you. I intend to treasure you until the end of time. You've been chosen by the Millennium Puzzle to be its keeper and now I'm giving you my heart to keep."

Yugi smiled even more. "I'll protect your heart, Yami."

Yami could feel the hope and happiness in his heart at Yugi's words, something he hadn't felt in a long time. "Good, let's go see my friend Mahad and see if he can heal those wounds."

Before they even took a step, Set came running through the door. "Yami, we have visitors."

"Visitors? Is it Seto?" Yami asked.

Set shook his head. "They're humans."

Yami's eyes went wide in panic. Had humans really explored this far into the forest? "Are they a threat?"

Set glanced back then looked at him. "It's only two of them. One carries the Millennium Ring, the other wields the Millennium Necklace. It seems the one with the ring found this place. Luckily for them, Mahad took Bakura and Marik away from this place. Had they been here they would've attacked the humans."

"That's Ryou and Ishizu!" Yugi said then staggered to the hallway. He saw over the banister that Ishizu and Ryou waiting by the door. "Ryou! Ishizu!"

"Yugi!" Ryou shouted, relieved that his friend was okay, but Ishizu had a grim look on her face. Yugi knew this couldn't be good if she had that look. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay. Are you-"

"Yugi," Ishizu interrupted calmly. "I'm afraid I have seen something…disturbing."


	5. Chapter 5

** Warnings **

Puzzleshipping – G  
Tendershipping – T  
  
Violence, blood

* * *

“What did you see?” Yugi asked, limping down the stairs. “Is it…my grandpa?”

She nodded with a grim look. “He’s alive…for now.”

“What happens to him? Do they torture him to death?” He was trying to fight back the tears that were threatening to spill. The thought of losing his grandpa was something he didn’t want to think of.

“I don’t know,” she replied. “It didn’t look like they were torturing him to death. It looked more like a ritual of some sort. Like they were sacrificing him to someone.”

“Oh Ra, they were probably sacrificing him to Zorc,” Set told them. He looked at Yugi. “Does your grandfather know anything about shadow magic?”

The young boy nodded. “Yes, he’s the one that taught me how to about it and how to use it. I only know a little bit, but not much. Why does that matter?”

“So there was another reason why they captured him,” Duke said. “Anyone that commands shadow magic is big bonus for their master. The more power that person has, the less people they’ll need. Unless we save him soon, they’ll sacrifice him.”

“And that’s probably why they want Yugi,” Yami stated. “Do any of your friends know shadow magic?”

Ryou and Ishizu raised their hands. “My family also knows it,” Ishizu said. “My brother, Malik is the most powerful one. He’s also the keeper of the Millennium Rod. Kisara, my sister, isn’t really strong in shadow magic, but there’s a power in her that none of us know much about. My older brother doesn’t know much either, but he’s still very powerful.”

“I’m the only other one that knows anything of shadow magic,” Ryou told him. “My sister can’t use it. She’s just an anchor for me whenever emotions around me get to be too much.”

“An empath,” Duke stated. “Haven’t met one of those in a long time. How are you able to function right now if your sister is not here?”

“As long as Yugi, Ishizu, or one of her family members are with me, I can go anywhere without feeling everything,” he answered.

“Can you find my grandpa with the ring?” Yugi asked.

Ryou shrugged. “I’m not sure, but I can give it a try.” He closed his eyes, raising his hands on both sides of the ring as it glowed.

“How are these humans able to use such power?” Duke asked.

“I think the real question is why they were born with this magic,” Set said.

The ring stopped glowing and Ryou opened his eyes. “I can’t find him,” he told Yugi. “He must be far away for me not to sense him. Or I might be too weak to sense that far. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Yugi said, feeling disappointed. “I should’ve known that it wouldn’t be that easy to find him.”

“Does your grandfather know anything of shadow magic?” Duke asked him.

Yugi nodded. “Yes, he’s the one that taught me how to use it. He knows how to use it himself. He also taught Ryou how to use it.”

Set shook his head with a look of disbelief. “A human that commands shadow magic? Humans are too weak to handle it.”

“Weak?” Ishizu asked, looking calm to anyone that didn’t know her. Yugi and Ryou had only seen her angry once and that was enough to tell them not to make her angry. Energy started crackling around them and the earth beneath them began to tremble. “You call us humans weak? Then what are you, sir? You don’t seem to possess much power.”

Set didn’t back down, growling at her. “I am someone that will show you your place, human. Don’t think your little tricks will intimidate me. I am the priest of Pharaoh Yami’s court, Priest Set, the most powerful priest he ever had.”

Ishizu didn’t even look impressed or scared. “Well, tell me, Priest…how come you’re not aware of my brothers and sister surrounding us?”

“What are you-?” Set couldn’t even finish his question as he felt a knife at his throat. He tried to break free of the man’s grasp, but the man behind him was a lot stronger than he thought. Especially for a human…

“Are you okay, Ishizu?” Odion asked his sister.

“We’re fine,” she replied. “Where are Malik and Kisara?”

“They’re watching from a safe distance,” he told her. “They’re ready to strike if they must and are keeping an eye out for anything suspicious.”

She nodded, connecting her mind to her siblings’ minds. **_Kisara? Malik? Can you hear me?_**

**_I hear you._** Kisara confirmed.

**_Same here._** Malik replied.

“Do you still consider us humans weak, priest?” she asked Set. “We might not be able to transform into powerful dragons like you and your comrades, but we’re not without our own strengths.”

“Indeed you aren’t,” he said. “Having a dragon to guarding you is indeed a strength to any family along with the humans knowing shadow magic.”

“A dragon guarding us? We don’t have a dragon guarding us,” she told him.

“You don’t know about your own brother?” he asked, pointing behind him at Odion. “This man is a dragon. I can sense it in him yet none of you were aware of it?”

Yami looked at the man holding Set, sensing it also. It was very faint, but he could sense the presence of a dragon in the man. The man looked shocked, unknowingly releasing Set. “How could you not know?” he asked.

Odion looked at his sister in shock and disbelief. “They’re lying. I couldn’t possibly be one of them. I was abandoned in the deserts of Egypt as a baby and Mrs. Ishtar found me and cared for me as though I was her own child. When I was five, my mother gave birth to Ishizu and found another baby abandoned in the desert, our sister Kisara. Then when I was twelve, she gave birth to our younger brother, Malik, and died after giving birth to him. I was a child when all of that happened. How can I possibly be one of you when you’re the only ones left?”

“Because you’re a descendant of a dragon family,” a voice from behind him said.

Yami gasped as Shadi appeared from the shadows. “Shadi, what are you doing here?” He knew the enigmatic man only appeared for two reasons: every century to visit for a few hours or when something bad was going to happen.

And it hadn’t been a hundred years since Yami last saw him.

Shadi didn’t say anything as he stared at the man standing in front of him. He only lifted the Millennium Key that was hanging around his neck and pointed it at Odion. “A room in your soul needs to be unlocked. It’s the only way you can properly protect your family and friends.” Before anyone could say something or react, he was right in front of the man and stabbed him with the key.

“Odion!” Ishizu shouted as she watched in horror as her brother was stabbed. Light emerged from where the man had stabbed and surrounded them.

**_I’m taking that guy out!_** Malik said as he began to prepare to cast a spell. Even from far away he could clearly see the man that had stabbed his brother.

**_Malik, you can’t! You might hit Odion!_** Kisara told him. She looked up at the sky, hearing thunder and that the clouds seemed to have a sinister appearance.

“Stop!” Yugi shouted as he ran at the man, but Yami held him back. “Let me go! How could you let him kill my friend!? Odion isn’t one of you!”

“He’s not dead,” Yami told him calmly. “The key unlocks anything in a person’s soul and can even alter a person’s personality. He’s unlocking the dragon deep in your friend’s soul.”

The light around them disappeared and Odion fell to his knees with his hand over his heart. He looked up at the man with wide eyes. “What did you do to me?”

**_Look out!_** Malik shouted telepathically to his family and friends.

Yugi looked up at he saw a shower of knives coming down at them. Yami grabbed him and jumped away far enough to avoid them. But he saw that Ishizu and Ryou weren’t going to make it in enough time. “Ishizu, Ryou, look out!”

Odion didn’t even hesitate as he ran and pulled his sister to him. There was no way he was going to be able to save Ryou, but he would die protecting his sister at least. He felt something inside him clawing its way to be released. It couldn’t be that they were right, could it? He didn’t have time to wonder

Malik watched from far away as he saw the knives hit his brother in the back. A white flash had grabbed Ryou and pulled him to safety while everyone else had managed to get safely away. **_Odion!_** He could see that once the rain of knives stopped that his brother had multiple of them in his back. He jumped off the tree he’d been standing on and ran towards his brother and sister. He knew Kisara was also running to them. **_Odion, you better not die! You can’t die!_**

Yugi pushed himself away from Yami and ran to his friends. “Odion! Ishizu, are you okay?” He helped her get out from under her brother, seeing blood staining her clothes and on her face. “Is there anything we can do? I thought they said he was a dragon?”

Ishizu ignored him, helping her brother lay on the ground. “Brother…”

The older man didn’t respond, struggling to breathe. He saw that some of the knives had pierced through him, but he thanked the gods that his sister wasn’t hurt. “You’re okay, Ishizu…”

Before she could respond, a sinister laughter came from behind them. Yugi glared at the man and stood in front of them. “Arkana.”

The man bowed and smirked at him. “One of my many tricks. It’s too bad he didn’t know how to dodge a thousand knives. Though I’m surprised he didn’t get hit in the head.”

“Arkana!” Yami shouted, standing in front of Yugi and his friends. “What purpose does killing me serve? How will that bring Catherine back to you?”

The magician had a crazed look on his face. “Zorc said he would bring her back to me. As long as I bring back that boy.” He pointed at Yugi. “If I bring him back then my Catherine will be back with me.”

“You won’t take him away,” Yami growled, fighting off his transformation. The dragon inside was clawing for freedom, demanding that he let it free to protect their mate. “I will not let you harm him or his friends.”

“It’s too late for that,” Arkana said, pointing at Odion. “That man will die soon if you don’t do something. Those knives were covered in poison and it’s very well into his bloodstream. He doesn’t have much longer now.”

Yami looked at the family. Ishizu and Kisara had managed to pull the knives out and were struggling to use their magic to heal him. Yugi was holding Malik back while Set was watching them. Even he knew that trying to save him would be futile. Mokuba and Noah just stood by, watching the sisters try to save their older brother. Shadi had disappeared again. And Ryou…Yami looked around, not seeing the white haired boy anywhere. Had he managed to escape?

“I see those women have some power in them,” Arkana mused. “Perhaps I’ll take them as well. Zorc does love ladies to visit him once in a while. And they have powers that’ll certainly boost his energy.”

“Keep your dirty hands away from them,” Odion growled, glaring at the man as he shakily stood up despite his sisters trying to stop him. He pushed them back. “Both of you get Malik and the others out of here. I’ll take care of this man.”

“But Odion!” Kisara pleaded. She could sense the great power in him trying to get out. Her breath hitched when she saw his usually hazel eyes turn into a bright glowing green.

Ishizu grabbed her sister’s hand. She could see that Arkana was summoning dragons to do his bidding and that they had to leave as soon as possible. “We won’t be too far if you need us,” she told him.

Malik managed to push himself free from Yugi and ran to his brother. “You’re not leaving us, are you?” he asked. “You can’t leave us, brother. You promised you would protect me from father if he came back.”

Odion smiled at his brother and kissed his forehead. “I promise I’ll come back, little brother. I won’t let anything or anyone harm you and our sisters. Now hurry up and run as far away from here as possible. He’s summoning dragons to fight and capture you and the others. I’ll fight them off.”

“May the gods watch over you, brother,” Ishizu said then ran off with their siblings.

He watched them run and saw that the man with Yugi flew off with the boy, probably to take him somewhere safe. At least he knew his family and friends would be safe though they had yet to find Ryou. He could only pray that the boy was far away from this battle.

“Do you really think you’ll be able to fight?” Set asked him as he stood to the side of him along with Mokuba and Noah. “This isn’t a fantasy you’re living. This is a real fight with beings that are legends in your time.”

“I will do whatever it takes to keep my family safe,” Odion calmly replied.

“It’s been a while since we’ve transformed,” Duke said as he walked up. “Didn’t think we’d ever need to as time went by. It’ll be refreshing to let my dragon out.” His eyes went from green to a glowing red and smirked. “He’s the only thing left in me that can feel anything.”

Set allowed a small smirk to form as his deep blue eyes started glowing. “Good to know I’m the only one that _feels_ that way.”

`~`~`~`

Yami flew Yugi to a cliff far away from the battle. “Stay here and don’t draw attention to yourself. Your friends are heading here right now as we speak. I’ll come back to get you when this is over.” He kissed his cheek and hugged him close, inhaling his orchid scent. “Stay safe.”

Yugi watched him fly away before he could say anything. He saw Ishizu and the others running towards him. “Are you guys okay? What about Odion?”

Malik looked away, blinking back tears. “He’s staying to fight.”

Before Yugi could say anything a white flash flew passed them and Ryou fell down next to them. “Ryou! Are you okay? What happened to you?” He could see the scared look on his friend’s face and helped him stand. “You’re not hurt, are you?” He looked at him, noting that his friend’s lips looked at little…swollen? And his cheeks were red.

“I don’t know,” Ryou answered. “H-He said that I’m his and that if someone else touches me, h-he’ll k-kill them. I don’t even know who he is and he’s acting p-p-possessive of me!”

“What are you talking about?” Malik asked him. “You mean one of them saved you and now claims you’re his mate? Who the hell do these people think they are? First, one of them saves and claims Yugi now another one is claiming Ryou? Do they think we live in the Dark Ages or something?”

Yugi didn’t say anything. While it was sudden that Yami claimed he was his mate, he’d seen firsthand what the pharaoh had gone through for the past two thousand years. It had been a very bleak existence, no colors and no emotions. The darkness inside that he fought off every day. He’d seen every memory and knew everything about Yami Atem. “You don’t know what they went through, Malik. Yami let me see every little thing about him. He didn’t want any secrets between us. Finding me has not only let him see colors and feel emotions again, but it has given him hope. Something he hasn’t felt in a very long time.”

Malik looked over at his friend then looked back to where his brother was. A loud roar was heard then he saw dragons floating near the area where Odion and those other men had been. “You’ve gotta be kidding me…its true? Odion is one of them?”

As though his brother heard, he saw the dragon with glowing bright green eyes look back at him then looked back. It had four large black wings and it was black and from where Malik could see, it had red feet with claws.¹

Another dragon was a light blue with large light blue wings² and another one that looked like it, but it had black wings and black on its head.³ A white dragon with large blades on its arms⁴ appeared as it flew in between a sea green dragon with four wings⁵ that was a little smaller than the rest of them and a dragon that looked black with red gem like orbs along the column of its neck from behind with its wings on what appeared to be its arms and two smaller wings lower on its body.⁶

But the one that held Yugi’s attention was the large red dragon that was surrounding the other dragons. He saw the dragon turn its head to look at him and the others, showing that it had two mouths, yellow eyes, large red wings, and a blue gem like orb on top of its head.⁷ He knew that it was Yami. Despite its fearsome and frightening appearance, he knew Yami was in control. **_I trust you, Yami._**

**_Thank you, Yugi._** Yami was glad that he wasn’t afraid of him in this form. He looked back at Arkana who was summoning more dragons. The dragons weren’t very powerful on their own, but in numbers like this, they could very do a lot of damage. And could do damage to Domino City if Arkana tried to attack it. **_Mahad, if you can hear me. I need you to set up a Field Spell. This area and Domino City can be greatly damaged if we battle._**

**_Marik, Shadi, and I are on it. I hope the Mountains will be an appropriate place._** Mahad told him. **_The three of us will be there as soon as we can. Shadi said he will be staying here for a while._**

**_Make sure that Yugi and his friends are transported to a safe area not too far from us. There’s no telling if Arkana has more tricks up his sleeve and I want them safe. One of you will need to guard them._** Yami ordered. He was not going to risk losing sight of Yugi. Now he had something to lose, but he wasn’t going to lose it.

“Dragons, attack!” Arkana ordered.

**_Here they come…_** Set said calmly, watching as an army of Koumori Dragons and Dragon Zombies flew towards them. Bakura didn’t wait for the order and attacked before any of them could stop him.

Yugi watched from far away as he watched the other dragons fly out and started attacking. Most of them were attacking Yami, shooting dark energy blasts from their mouths or biting him somewhere. The large white dragon was slicing through his enemies with the blades on its arms. Odion was having the most trouble and Yugi knew it was him due to the fact that all of the other dragons weren’t struggling like him. It was obvious that he wasn’t trained the way Yami and the others were. “Oh no, look out, Odion!”

Odion turned around only to have something sink its teeth into his neck. He could feel the dragon ripping off pieces of his skin off. He howled as loud as he could already feel the blood spilling out of the wound and weakening from the loss. One of the other dragons pulled it off and blasted it with a fire blast. Duke grabbed him before he could fall. **_I need someone over here to heal him! He’s losing blood fast._**

**_I’m on my way._** Shadi told him.

“He’s hurt,” Malik said. “That dragon ripped his throat. We have to help him!” Before any of them could stop him, he jumped off the cliff and ran towards the battlefield.

“Malik, stop!” Ishizu said, jumping after him. She sensed that Kisara, Yugi, and Ryou jumped as well and were running not too far behind her. “Malik!” She ran into him when he suddenly stopped and looked up at the dragon that flying above them. She pushed him behind her.

“We’re surrounded,” Kisara said, pushing Yugi and Ryou behind her. “What do we do?” More of the dragons were surrounding them. “Ishizu, there’s no way out.”

“Then we stand and fight,” Ishizu told her. “We’re not without our own powers, Kisara.” One of the dragons roared loudly and flew at them. “Here comes one!”

Ryou held his hand up towards the dragon. The dragon stopped at the last second right in front of his hand. “Attack,” he ordered, pointing at the other dragons. The dragon turned around and started attacking the other dragons that were coming at him and his friends. Now he just had to focus on keeping that dragon in his control or it would turn against him.

Kisara and Ishizu dodged the dragon that dove at them. “Look out!” Kisara called out to her sister when a dragon was about to attack her from behind. Before it could reach her, a white dragon with red claws⁸ blasted it and stood in front of them. Another dragon that was a golden yellow color with six wings⁹ flew to the other side of them and swiped the enemy dragons away with its tail.

**_Don’t move away from us._** A mysterious voice told them in their minds. Yugi knew it came from the yellow dragon and stayed close to his friends.

`~`~`~`

While the battle was happening, none of them knew of them of the four mysterious figures watching it from afar.

“Shouldn’t we go there and help them?” a female asked. “We can’t just leave them with those men, can we?”

“Mother didn’t tell us to help them, not yet at least,” the male standing next to her said. “They’ll be safe with the pharaoh and his friends. It’s the other four we need to worry about. They’ll be vulnerable to any attack should Zorc find out about them.”

The other female scoffed as she watched the Blue-Eyes White Dragon rip one of the enemy dragons apart as he shot an energy blast from his mouth. The white dragon was slicing the enemies in half with its blades on its arms. And the pharaoh was blasting them with energy blasts. “One of them is missing,” she pointed out. “One of the twins, Set or Seto.”

“Seto is with Joey,” the other male said. “If Zorc ever finds out the truth, he’ll go after him. I say act now before anything else happens.”

The younger male hissed at him. “Just because you’re older than me by one year doesn’t mean you’re in charge. Mother put me in charge cause you’re too much of a hothead compared to me. We will not do anything until she tells us to. We’re the secret trump cards that not even the pharaoh knows about. That’s why Mother hasn’t revealed herself to him or any of them. And that’s why we need as little contact with them as possible. If they find out about us, then our enemy finds out about us.”

His mate looked up at him. “We know. But if Yugi or any of our friends are in danger and the pharaoh can’t save him, I’m going to risk getting caught. They’ve been good friends to us and I will not lose them.”

“I know you won’t,” he said as he saw that Arkana disappeared and the battle was finally over. Bodies of Dragon Zombies and Koumori Dragons littered the surrounding area. “We should leave while we can. They’ll spot us if we stay any longer.” He saw his mate wasn’t even looking at the battlefield, but at Yugi and the others, sighing in relief that they were safe. “Come on, we’ll probably see them later.”

She nodded and walked through the portal he created. The other male and female gave one last look at the battlefield and walked through it. He was the last one to walk through it. As soon as they were back in Domino, his phone rang. “Mother.”

“Is everyone okay?” she asked.

“Yes. Yugi, Ryou, and the Ishtar family are with them right now. Odion was hurt badly, but I think they’ll be able to save him,” he explained. “But as for the others that aren’t here…”

“We’ll keep an eye on them,” she said. “You four get back here right now before you risk anyone catching you.”

“Alright,” he said then hung up the phone.

`~`~`~`

Malik ran over to the dragon that was his brother. “Odion. Odion! Can you hear me?” he asked frantically, gently petting his head. “Please don’t die.”

**_I-I’m still here…_** Odion told him. **_I can’t hold this form any longer._** He transformed back into a human and now Malik could see the extent of the damage done. The skin was torn off and he could see that his throat was badly damaged.

“Let me see him,” a calm voice said.

The young Egyptian boy turned around to see Shadi standing behind him along with the dragons that were now human. “Please save my brother,” he said quietly.

“I’ll watch over him,” Shadi said and picked Odion up. “You and your sisters can stay with one of my comrades. I will return with your brother in a week. An injury like this can take a few days to heal and recover.”

Ishizu nodded, pulling Malik to her. “Do whatever you have to do to heal my brother,” she said.

The older man nodded then flew away with Odion in his arms. Yami hugged Yugi close to him and buried his face in his hair. “Are you okay?”

“I’m okay,” Yugi replied, hugging him back. He pulled away a little to see if Yami had any serious injuries, only seeing a few scratches and bite marks everywhere on his body. “You’re hurt.”

“This is nothing,” Yami assured him, kissing his forehead. “Right now we need to keep you and the others here. They won’t attack here since this is our territory.”

Yugi looked around, now noticing that they were no longer near Domino City. He couldn’t see the lights or anything. It was like they were at a different part of the world. “Where is “here” exactly? I don’t see Domino City or anything.”

“We’re on an island,” Yami told him. “It’s a traveling island that we made with our magic in case we needed a safe place to stay. Shadi will be taking Odion to his area of the island so he won’t be too far away from us. Your friends can stay with us. It’ll be safer for them than going back home. Arkana knows they have magic powers and he’ll come after them if they leave.”

The younger boy nodded. “Okay, if you think that’s best,” he said quietly.

“Can we stay with that man that took Odion?” Malik asked.

Yami shook his head. “I’m afraid not. Shadi needs absolute concentration on healing his injuries and he can’t afford to worry about you and your sisters’ safety. You’ll stay with me and Yugi. If you go home now, Arkana will be back.”

“Wait a second,” Malik said. “You mean to tell us that all those legends of the dragons are true? That you’re the real Pharaoh Yami and that these people are your comrades? The ones that saved the world from the darkness?”

He nodded. “Yes. Those stories are true. You saw for yourself that we can transform into dragons.”

“You guys need to find your soul mates to bring back the light that you gave up to save the world, right?” Ishizu asked. She looked at him and Yugi. “I can see why Yugi is yours, but what of your comrades, pharaoh? Have they found theirs?”

“No,” he replied. “Mokuba and Noah were the last two to lose their sight of color and their emotions. The rest of us have been living in darkness since the battle two thousand years ago though we had to seal Marik and Bakura. The darkness in them was a lot stronger than we thought. Mahad was guarding them and the Millennium Items, but apparently it seems you and the others found them.”

She touched the Millennium Necklace that was hanging around her neck. “My mother gave this to me before she died. We were the guardians of _your_ tomb, pharaoh. Our family has been guarding it for two thousand years and this necklace and the Millennium Rod are the signs that we are part of the family. My younger brother and I inherited these items like our father and mother before us.”

“My tomb? I was not aware I had one,” Yami admitted. “Why would your family dedicate themselves to guarding a tomb that I didn’t know about?”

“Because they believed that one day you would return and fight the darkness once again,” Kisara answered. “Ishizu and Malik are the rightful heirs to the Millennium Rod and the Millennium Necklace. Odion and I guard them because some people have come after them for those items. If you believe that Ishizu and Malik are in danger then we’ll do as you say.”

“Alright,” he said. He looked over to where Bakura was, seeing the man pinning Ryou against a tree and kissing him feverishly. “Bakura! Let the boy go!”

The white-haired man didn’t release and glared at him over his shoulder. “This boy is mine,” he stated. “I won’t let anyone take him from me, Yami. I’ve suffered in the darkness for two thousand years to save this wretched world and I will finally take my reward.”

Ryou gasped, looking to Yami desperately for help. A part of him wanted to save the boy, but the other part didn’t want Bakura to suffer either. He was right about suffering in the darkness for such a long time. But he knew that Yugi’s friend was scared of him and that Bakura’s personality would be overbearing at the moment. “Bakura, you have to understand that he’s human. He’s not like us and doesn’t understand what’s going on. If you take him away, he’ll only get more scared and resist you. You have to give him time to adjust to all this. You’re emotions returning will only overwhelm and cause him to collapse.”

“What would you know?” Bakura sneered.

“He’s an empath,” Yugi told him. “He can feel other people’s emotions and control them for a short period of time. If you don’t calm yourself, he’ll start feeling sick and might pass out.”

Bakura looked at the small boy in his arms, indeed seeing that the pale boy looked sickly pale and was trembling as though he was struggling to stand. “Is what they say true?” he asked the boy. He saw the boy nod. He couldn’t help but snarl at this. Two thousand years after giving up what little light he had left in him and this was his reward? A fragile human boy who would pass out if the emotions of those around him? The gods must’ve been bored or really wanted to torture him when they created this boy as his soul mate. He pushed the boy away from him and walked away. The boy was his, but now that he knew this information, he wouldn’t claim him. If it meant damning himself to the darkness, so be it.

Yugi ran over to his friend when he saw Ryou fall to his knees. “Are you okay, Ryou? Can you stand?”

“I’m fine,” he answered. Though Yugi could see that he was obviously lying. He’d felt the anger and disappointment from the older white-haired man when he realized that he was an empath. Before that though, he’d felt nothing but…possession. The man hadn’t looked at him with love. He’d looked at him like he was a slave to follow his every command.

“Let’s get all of you to my home so you can rest,” Yami said. “My comrades have probably left to their homes here. If you need anything, Mahad’s home isn’t too far.” He transformed into his dragon form and lowered his head. **_Get on._**

Yugi hesitantly got on along with his friends and gasped when Yami started flying. He held onto Ryou, who looked like he was going to pass out any second. “Are we close to your house, Yami? Ryou needs rest.”

**_We’re almost there._** He told him. He landed near the mansion and lowered himself so that they could get off. He quickly transformed back into his human form in enough time to catch Ryou before he fell. “He must be really exhausted. I’ll carry him to a room. You can all sleep wherever you’re comfortable.” He led them into the house and started walking up the stairs to the nearest guest bedroom and laid Ryou down on the bed. “Does this happen to him often?”

“Only if me, Ishizu, Odion, Malik, or Amane aren’t with him,” he answered, looking at his friend with concern. “But it must’ve been too late for us to help him if he already passed out.”

Yami hugged him close as they walked out of the room. He saw that the Ishtar siblings had already claimed one guest bedroom. He could hear them talking, mostly worrying about their older brother. “Are you tired?” he asked Yugi. He could sense the weariness in his little light and see that he was fighting to stay awake.

“A little,” Yugi admitted, fighting back a yawn. He noticed that he and Yami were now in a large bedroom with a large bed that looked far too comfortable at the moment. “Is this your bedroom?”

“Yes,” Yami replied, gently nudging him to the bed. Yugi didn’t really bother to fight back and laid down, kicking his shoes off. “You need rest, Little Light. This has been a tiring day for you and your friends. And this is only the beginning. I hope you don’t regret…being with me.”

**_I don’t regret anything, Yami._** Yugi told him mind to mind. His eyes were already closed and his breathing was slowly becoming even. **_Thank you for saving me and my friends._**

**_You’re welcome._** Yami kicked his own shoes off and laid down next to his mate and pulled him close. He could enjoy these few hours of rest and just holding Yugi in his arms before he had to get up and fight again.

* * *

 

¹ Darkflare Dragon: Odion  
² Blue-Eyes White Dragon: Set  
³ Malefic Blue-Eyes White Dragon: Mokuba  
⁴ Magna-Slash Dragon: Bakura  
⁵ Different Dimension Dragon: Noah  
⁶ Chthonian Emperor Dragon: Duke  
⁷ Slifer the Sky Dragon: Yami  
⁸ Judgment Dragon: Shadi  
⁹ Prime Material Dragon: Mahad

Dragon forms were based on the show, appearances of characters, or random picking. I don’t know which dragon belongs to Yugioh, GX, and whatnot. There’s far too many to pick from. I choose the Malefic Blue-Eyes White Dragon for Mokuba due to him having black hair and the dragon having black in it.

I’m thinking about making this into a series. Like making this Yami and Yugi’s story. Then maybe doing another couple in another story and so on. What do you think? Leave a review on your thoughts about it. 

For faster updates, check this story on my fanfiction.net profile!


	6. Chapter 6

**Warnings**

**  
**Puzzleshipping: M

Mauling, violence, blood

* * *

“It’s been two weeks since we last saw or heard from them. You can’t tell me that something isn’t up,” Joey told Tristan as they walked out of class. “All of them have gone missing. Yugi, Solomon, Ryou, and Malik and his family. Something isn’t right.”

“Yeah, but what can we do?” Tristan asked. “It’s only me, you, Amane, Serenity, and Téa and the others. And the older four of that group are always busy with work after class. Mikey and Rebecca are too busy taking care of their mother. So what can you, me, and the girls do? We don’t have special powers like Yugi and the others.”

Joey huffed, knowing that Tristan was right. The four of them didn’t have special powers like their friends. And that was probably why their friends were hiding right now. “Do you think they’re okay? Amane is really worried about Ryou. I don’t think she’s been able to sleep good since he went missing.” Now that he mentioned her, he saw her sitting on a bench all by herself. It looked like she hadn’t slept real well in a while. Her usually healthy looking pale skin was now sickly pale as if she looked like she was fighting to stay awake and she had dark circles under her eyes. He and Tristan walked over and sat on either side next to her. “You okay, Amane?”

She shook her head, not answering out loud. Tristan sighed, putting his arm around her shoulders and hugged her close. “We’ll find them, Amane. Just be confident.”

“I can’t sense him anywhere,” she said quietly. “I’m scared, you guys. What if he’s danger? I can’t lose him too…”

“Hey, you won’t lose him,” Tristan assured her. “Joey and I are gonna go look for them right now, starting with the woods outside of Domino. I remember your brother saying something that the Millennium Ring was leading him there. Maybe we’ll find something there.”

“Let me come with you,” she pleaded. “I promise I won’t get in the way and I’ll do what you order if you let me come with you.”

Joey and Tristan looked at each other over her head. Both of them didn’t want her nearby if there was possible danger, but they knew she would only follow them along with Serenity. And that would put them in more danger. “Fine,” Joey agreed. “But if something goes wrong and Tristan or me tell you and Serenity to run, you run and don’t look back. Got it?”

She nodded. “Okay. I promise.”

“Well, let’s go see what we can find,” Joey said, standing up.

`~`~`~`

Yugi was wandering around the mansion that they’d been living in since the attack. He and the others had been safe so far from any attacks. Odion was still recovering from his attack. The first three days had been hard on his family since they weren’t allowed to see him, but now they could. They’d left a few hours ago to go be by Odion’s bedside since he hadn’t woken up yet. So that left him and Yami alone in the house…

He felt his face heat up at the thought. He’d never been attracted to anyone before Yami and now he couldn’t stop some of the thoughts that were running through his head. Sure he’d seen others in relationships like Téa and Alister, Valon and Mai, and Mikey and Rebecca. But he’d never been in a relationship let alone kiss or even…

“Stop thinking about that, Yugi!” he scolded himself. Now wasn’t a good time for him to have these thoughts. His grandpa was still missing. Arkana was still out there waiting to strike and Yami’s enemies were still at large. He couldn’t afford to have these thoughts. Even though wearing one of Yami’s shirts that had his sandalwood scent on it was still haunting his mind.

“Are you okay, Yugi?” Yami was suddenly there, hugging him from behind. He couldn’t help but smile at seeing Yugi jump in surprise.

“I-I’m fine,” he answered, hoping he wasn’t blushing. If Yami knew of the thoughts in his mind, he would probably think Yugi was some kind of pervert. He didn’t need to be thinking of all that right now. He felt Yami’s lips against his ear, trying his best not to shiver. “Is everything okay?”

“I can read your thoughts,” Yami revealed. He saw Yugi’s cheeks turn even more red and chuckled. “It’s normal to have those thoughts, Yugi. You don’t have to be ashamed of them. Soul Mates who haven’t Bonded yet tend to have those thoughts more than those who are Bonded.”

“What does that mean? Soul Mates? Bonded?” Yugi asked.

Yami rested his head on top of his head, looking at him through their reflection on the glass. “Soul Mates, it means that two people are meant to be together and there’s no other person in the world for them. When dragons are born, they have to find their Soul Mate or they lose the ability to see in colors and feel emotions after a century or so. Most of the time if they don’t find their Soul Mate by then, it means their Soul Mate is not alive. In some rare cases, their mate can be human. Even some humans have a Soul Mate out there though most of them don’t know it.”

“So the concept of Soul Mates is real,” Yugi said quietly. “Most people think it’s a woman’s fantasy, but I see now that isn’t the case. And what does being Bonded mean?”

“When a dragon finds their Soul Mate they have to Bond. Their life forces are combined and when one dies, the other will be able to feel it. They’ll be able to stay connected with each other at all times. And it’s one way to show others that they’ve been claimed,” Yami explained.

Yugi couldn’t help but blush as he asked his next question. “And…what do we have to do to be Bonded?”

The older man smirked and whispered in his ear. “Exactly what you think. I would have to bite where I want my Mark on you. The bite mark will eventually turn into my symbol and show others that I’ve claimed you.”

The smaller boy couldn’t help but shiver at his words. But it wasn’t from fright. He could already feel his body slowly getting hard for Yami. It scared him yet at the same time it excited him. “What happens if you don’t claim me?”

“You continue to live as a mortal and I remain immortal, unless I decide to give it up,” he replied.

Yugi looked at him from the reflection in the window. “But if you become mortal, won’t your powers fade away?”

The pharaoh nodded, kissing his forehead. “Yes. I will become a lot weaker in time should I become mortal, but I’m willing to make that sacrifice for you once this war is over.”

Yugi turned in his arms to look up at him. “But you can’t. What if the others still need you?”

Yami rested his forehead against Yugi’s and closed his eyes. “I shouldn’t be so selfish. I’m the leader of the dragons. And there’s only a few of us left. But this is the only thing I’ve ever wanted for myself. Is it so wrong to be selfish this one time?”

The younger boy stood on his toes and kissed his cheek. “You’re not selfish. I know everything about you and I know you’ve sacrificed a lot to save the world and your people. You told me that most dragons can’t go pass a century without their mate and you managed to hang onto life for two thousand years. If anything, you deserve to be selfish once in a while.”

“Be glad I’m not,” Yami said quietly, tracing his finger along Yugi’s soft lips.

Yugi gently nipped at his finger then blushed a little. “Why not?”

Yami didn’t answer him, but instead grabbed him by the hips and lifted him up a little so that he could grind their hips together. He saw Yugi blush even more when he felt his hardness pressed against him. He looked straight into those amethyst eyes, letting him see the hunger that he felt. “Because if I decided to be selfish, I would claim you right now. Consequences be damned.” Before Yugi could even respond, he brought their lips together and started kissing him heatedly. He knew he should’ve been gentler with his little mate, but two thousand years of having no light in his life made him feel like he was starving for it. He hoped Yugi wouldn’t be too upset with him for being this rough, but he needed at least something to help satisfy this craving that he always felt whenever he thought of Yugi. He heard the smaller boy make a sound and pulled away. “Are you okay?”

“Why did you stop?” Yugi asked, looking up at him with those big amethyst eyes that looked so innocent and sexy at the same time right now. He was a little scared of where this was going, but he never let fear stop him from doing anything before and he wasn’t going to let it stop him now. He wrapped his legs around Yami’s waist and held onto his shoulders with his hands. “I…I want you, Yami…”

The pharaoh gasped as he heard those words and looked at him with wide eyes. “Yugi…you don’t have to do anything-”

He didn’t get to finish sentence since Yugi kissed him. **_I want you, Yami. Can’t you feel what I’m feeling? I want this…I want you._**

Those words sealed the deal.

Holding onto his precious mate, he used his superhuman speed to return to his room and gently threw Yugi on the bed. Seeing him look at him with those beautiful eyes that showed him how much Yugi wanted him and looking disheveled was almost too much for him. But he would be gentle. He wasn’t going to be an animal and take him roughly. No, he would show him just how much he treasured him. He leaned down and kissed him gently while slowly removing their clothes. He nipped at the skin of his neck then slowly nipped his way down to his chest. He’d thought about leaving his Mark right there, but he had to make sure that Yugi would want to be Bonded first. But now wasn’t the time to ask him of making such a commitment. That would be for later when they had time to discuss it. “Are you sure about this, Yugi?”

“I’m sure, Yami,” he replied truthfully. “I-I’ve never done this…so I don’t know what to do…”

Yami smiled down at him, tracing his finger along his cheek. “I’ve never done this either. But I promise to be gentle with you.”

Yugi looked at him with wide shocked eyes. “Really?”

“Yes,” he replied. “I never felt any desire for anyone, even before I lost my emotions. Only you have made me feel this way.”

Yugi looked up at him, brushing his fingers through the hair that looked so much like his own. But this was a man who’d lost just about everything in his life. The place he once called home no longer existed, his comrades scattered and alone with no mate, and he had lost one of his dearest friends who died trying to save lives. He’d seen that Yami was ready to spend the rest of his existence alone. Giving up all hope that he would one day find his mate and living alone while fighting the darkness inside had begun to take their toll on him. If he could help take the weight of the world off his shoulders for a few minutes then he would do anything for this man. Yugi knew this was the one for him.  “I’m ready, Yami.”

Yami looked down at him for a few seconds then leaned down to kiss his forehead down to his lips. The younger boy was amazed that someone so strong was being so gentle with him. Those same lips kissed their way down to his collarbone as he started unbuttoning the shirt. He could see the blush tinting the pale skin all over his body. Once the shirt was off, he pulled his pants off along with his boxers, leaving Yugi bare for his eyes to see. The boy was small indeed, but Yami could sense the strength deep inside him. He saw Yugi shiver and smiled down at him. “You’re beautiful, Yugi.”

Yugi just looked at him with wide eyes, trying his best not to blush. “C-Can I see you?” he asked nervously. He’d never seen anyone naked. Sure he’d seen other men and even his male friends shirtless, minus Joey who always hid his body with t-shirts even when they went to the beach. But the first time he saw Yami without a shirt…he swore his face was about to burst. He gasped when he saw that Yami’s clothes suddenly disappeared, leaving the man naked. His eyes trailed over his body, noting all the scars that were all over. A part of him wanted to know how he got each scar and another part of him was too afraid to hear the truth. He traced his finger along one scar that went across his torso. “Do you remember how you got this one?”

“From the final battle in our war against the darkness,” Yami replied. “We were battling against our enemy, Zorc, and he managed to injure me.” He felt Yugi’s hand stop at his naval and sensed the hesitation in him to go any further. Then again, he knew Yugi refused to look down pass his torso. Before he could move his hand away, he grabbed it and moved it to his cock. The younger boy’s breath hitched as Yami closed his fingers around it. “You don’t have to be nervous, Yugi. My body is yours as yours is mine.”

The smaller boy looked down to where his hand was. He knew Yami was bigger than him, but he didn’t think he was _that_ big. He slowly moved his hand, hearing Yami moan as he stroked him. It turned him on even more to know that _he_ was the reason why Yami was moaning like this. He moved his hand a little faster, hearing a growl.

Yami pulled his hand away and held his wrists together above his head while he kissed him feverishly. He moved his hand to Yugi’s lips, gently pressing three fingers into his mouth as he ravished his neck. “Get them wet. I don’t want to hurt you, Little Light,” he said. He groaned when he felt Yugi suck on the digits hungrily and let his hands free. Yugi held his wrist as he sucked, watching Yami kiss his way down to his naval. He stopped his actions when he felt Yami go lower and started sucking on his hardened length. The older man looked up at him as he slowly bobbed his head. Yugi’s small hips would involuntarily thrust up as he continued to suck on Yami’s fingers. The older man pulled his fingers away when he thought they were slick enough and pull away to look down at the younger boy. “Yugi, this is going to feel uncomfortable, but I promise I won’t hurt you.” He slowly inserted one finger inside him, making sure to keep an eye on Yugi’s face to make sure he wasn’t in pain. Once he got used to one finger, he inserted a second finger and started stretching him slowly.

“Yami, it hurts a little,” Yugi admitted, trying to relax his body. But it felt weird to him and it was slightly painful having two fingers somewhere that he never bothered to explore. He gasped when he felt Yami press against something that made him see stars. He heard the older man chuckle and pressed against the spot again while still stretching him out with two fingers. “Yami!”

_Bingo._ Yami thought as he continued to stretch his Little Light out. Now that he was used to two fingers, he inserted the third and final finger. He saw tears fall from Yugi’s eyes and kissed them away while scissoring his fingers inside him. “I’m sorry. It’ll go away soon.”

Yugi shook his head, moving his hips against the fingers inside him. Having never even touched himself, the sensations he was feeling was almost too much. “Yami,” he moaned as he felt those long fingers press against his sweet spot. “I-I want you!”

Yami didn’t hesitate and pulled his fingers out, positioning himself in between Yugi’s legs. He would never forget the way Yugi looked at this moment. His eyes looked even brighter, his skin had a light sheen of sweat covering it, and his overall smaller appearance. All of this would be his. This boy who had looked into his mind and saw everything that he went through was willing to give him this little piece of paradise. “Yugi, are you sure about this? If you tell me to stop, I will try my best to. But I can’t guarantee that I…”

“I’ve never been more sure about anything else in my life,” Yugi told him, smiling brightly at him. He was a little scared, but he didn’t want to stop. He knew if he didn’t do this now, he might not ever agree to do it again.

Yami nodded, slowly thrusting inside the small body beneath him. He groaned at the tightness that surrounded his hard length. It took everything in him to not start pounding away into him like his body wanted. Yugi was digging his nails into his back and breathing heavily until he was all the way inside him. He looked down at him, seeing the faint flush on his cheeks. “Are you okay?” he asked, keeping still so that Yugi’s body could adjust.

“Yes,” Yugi gasped out. He shifted his hips a little and wrapped his legs around his waist. “You can move now.”

Yami started moving, not thrusting too hard but moving a little faster as Yugi encouraged him.  He knew if he thrust any harder then Yugi wouldn’t be able to walk later. His Little Light was already going to be sore as it is. But those moans were driving him crazy and the tempting whispers his dragon kept saying didn’t help. It wanted nothing more than pound into the boy beneath him and Mark him. And it also didn’t help that Yugi’s body was tightening around him to the point that he wanted to cum right now.

The younger one saw the battle in his eyes. Those beautiful ruby red eyes were slowly turning into the gold they turned into when he transformed. “Yami, it’s okay. I can handle it,” he assured him. “You don’t have to hold back.” The older man looked down at him with one red eye and one gold eye, seeing if Yugi was telling the truth. Yugi smiled up at him. “Just don’t be too rough?”

Yami buried his face at the crook of his neck, inhaling his orchid scent as he started pounding into him harder and faster. Yugi screamed out loud in pleasure as his prostate was hit over and over again with each thrust. “Mine,” Yami growled as he held Yugi’s hips still as his continued his thrusting. His eyes turned gold and both he and the dragon felt like they were in paradise. Two thousand years of waiting was more than worth it now that Yugi was here. He wanted to keep this rhythm up and knew he could last for hours, but his mate wouldn’t be able to handle much more of this. He started stroking Yugi’s cock as he thrust even harder into him and made sure to hit his prostate with each thrust, loving the cries of pleasure Yugi let out.

“Y-Yami, I can’t last-” Yugi wasn’t able to finish his sentence and came in Yami’s hand. His nails were digging into his shoulders, leaving little red marks and tightening his body around Yami’s cock inside him.

Yami didn’t last much longer. The feeling of Yugi’s body shuddering around him was too much. He gave one final thrust and came inside him. He nuzzled Yugi’s neck, sucking on it and left a small mark. It wasn’t what he wanted, but right now, it was more than enough.  He looked down at his mate, giving him a gentle kiss on the lips. “Are you okay?” he asked, making sure not to crush him with his weight.

Yugi gave him a heartwarming smiled and nodded. “I’m okay.” He traced his finger along his brow bone. “Your eyes have gone back to normal.”

The pharaoh nuzzled his hair. “I’m sorry about that. I hope I didn’t scare you.”

“You didn’t,” Yugi told him. “Was I o-okay?”

Yami smiled down at him. “You were perfect.” He slowly pulled out of him and laid to the side, holding him close. “You should get some rest. You’ll be very sore when you wake up. I’m sorry if I was too rough.”

Yugi shook his head as he yawned. “You weren’t too rough. I’ll be okay…” The moment his eyes closed, he fell asleep.

Yami just looked at him for a while, watching him sleep peacefully. Never once in all these past two thousand years did he think he was going to find his Soul Mate. Yugi was truly a treasure that he would cherish for the rest of his existence. And now that Yugi willingly gave his body and heart to him, he knew he would never be able to let him go. And that anyone or anything who tried to take him away, may the gods have mercy on their souls because Yami wouldn’t.

With that thought, he held his mate closer and closed his eyes to rest. Finally being able to dream for the first time in two thousand years.

`~`~`~`

Bakura was walking through the hall of Shadi’s home, cursing the man for making him stay here. He could sense his would be mate here along with the family of that man who got injured in the fight. He still couldn’t believe his mate was such a weak and pathetic human. Was it too much to ask for a mate that wouldn’t faint from feeling too much anger? But the boy wasn’t too hard on the eyes, despite their very much alike appearances. The boy was shorter and more slender than him. His eyes were bigger and rounder and his face looked softer.

And those lips…

He shook his head at that. He should’ve just let the boy die when that rain of daggers was coming down. At least then he wouldn’t be _feeling_ disappointed and hopeless.

“Bakura, your mate is in the kitchen,” Shadi told him from behind.

He growled. “Dammit, stop appearing out of nowhere like a ghost! Don’t you ever get tired of being a freak?”

Shadi ignored his outburst. “Will you not claim the boy?”

“Hn, never,” he said. “That boy is too weak. The boy can’t even protect himself from emotions of anyone around him and will faint if they’re too strong. What use is he to me?”

“That boy has suffered most of his life. Much like you,” Shadi said calmly. “His mother was killed in an accident that almost took the life of his sister. His father no longer speaks to him. And he had no friends until a few years ago when he met Yami’s mate.”

“And? Is that supposed to make me feel sorry for him? He didn’t lose his entire family,” Bakura spat.

“No, he didn’t. But that boy has been emotionally abused his whole life. His father continues to blame him for his mother’s death. His sister has a slight limp in her walk ever since. Every time he sees her, he’s reminded of their mother’s death and that he could’ve lost his sister. Perhaps the gods made him for you so that you learn compassion.”

“Compassion? Why would I need that? Emotions like that will only get me killed,” he said and walked off. Sure enough, he could smell the sweet vanilla scent of his mate. The boy was sitting by the dining table and drinking a glass of water. It was obvious that he had a headache from the way he was shaking. How could this weakling be his? Why couldn’t the gods have given him a stronger mate? The boy was not what he wanted.

While he was too busy wondering, Ryou could feel the anger coming from him. Shadi had given him a warning that Bakura was living in the house for now. Ryou was scared of him, but he felt that the man’s anger was justified. He wouldn’t even pick himself for a mate if he had the choice. He stood up from table and walked out. He wanted to get as far away as possible from Bakura. He just wanted to get far away from everyone right now. But he really wanted to get away from Bakura the most. Ryou felt horrible that he was the man’s chosen mate. He felt like a failure that he wasn’t strong enough to make him happy.

He sat outside, heading to the small flower garden. Now that he was far away from everyone, his headache was finally going away.

“You shouldn’t be out here alone,” a voice growled behind him. He turned around, seeing Bakura standing behind him.

He looked away. “I-I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I just wanted some fresh air.”

“Or did you want to get away from me?” Bakura sneered. “I know you felt my anger.”

Ryou didn’t say anything. What could he say? He ruined the man’s life. Funny, he couldn’t feel any emotions right now. “Why can’t I feel your emotions?”

“I can shield myself from you,” he said. “It doesn’t take much energy.”

Before he could say anything, he felt a wave of panic coming from the woods. And it wasn’t until he heard a scream that he knew who it was. And that something bad must’ve happened.

All he heard was one word from a very familiar voice.

Serenity.

“JOEY!!!”

`~`~`~`

“I thought you said Kaiba was gonna tell you where Yugi was,” Tristan said as they walked through the woods.

Joey sighed as he thought of the prick. “He lied. He just told me that Yugi was safe with his friend. But now we gotta find Ryou and the others too. Do you think something happened to them?”

“They’re not dead,” Amane said as she walked passed them. “I know Ryou and the others were here.”

“How can you be so sure?” Tristan asked.

“I just know,” she replied.

“You don’t think something happened, do you?” Serenity quietly asked. This whole thing was scaring her. First Yugi and his grandpa went missing, now Bakura and the Ishtar siblings were missing.

Amane shook her head. “They’re alive. I would’ve known if my brother was dead.”

Joey continued walking with them. “Hey, there’s a house up ahead,” he pointed out. It was a big house, big enough to be considered a mansion. “Should we check it out? It could belong to Kaiba. Didn’t you say you catch him walking to the woods, Tristan?”

Tristan nodded. “Yeah, but do you think he lives here? And why would he want Yugi anyways? I understand Yugi beat him as his own game, but that’s no reason to go kidnap anyone.”

The blonde boy shrugged as they continued to walk towards the mansion. “But it’s always the people we least expect to do something like this. And Kaiba has enough money to-Whoa!” He looked at Amane as part of her arm disappeared. “What happened?”

“There was a portal of some sort here,” she said calmly. “I opened with what little magic power I have. I can feel Ryou’s presence in here. He’s somewhere in there.”

“Is going through a magic portal to some unknown place really the best idea? It’s only four of us,” Tristan said.

“We can’t ask Téa and the others since they’re always busy,” Serenity pointed out. “And no one will believe us if we try asking for help.”

“Good point,” Tristan agreed. “Well, all in favor in going through this freaky portal raise your hand.” He raised his hand and so did his friends. “Okay, then that’s settled.”

Amane was about to go through first until Joey stopped her. “Let me go first. If something happens, I’ll just push ya back in.” He walked through first, seeing nothing but trees surrounding them. “Great, more walking.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Tristan as he walked through with the girls. “Please tell me you can sense your brother, Amane.”

She nodded. “Yes, I know where he is. Just follow me.” She walked next to Joey since he refused to let her walk ahead.

“Is anyone else feeling creeped out about this, or is it just me?” Tristan asked.

“I’m a little scared,” Serenity admitted. “None of this is normal.” She gasped when she heard something moving in the forest. “What was that? Did you guys hear that?”

“I don’t know, but I’m not willing to find out,” Joey said. “Let’s keep going. Hopefully we find something.” He heard the same moving in the forest and that it was coming closer to them. It looked like a tiger that had bandages wrapped around its body and half of the skin on its head was missing along with an ear¹. “Are you guys seeing this?”

Tristan pushed both of the girls back. “Seeing, just working on believing.”

The tiger growled at them, getting ready to attack. Joey looked around, hoping to find anything that he could defend them with, but there was nothing. “Can you guys climb on the tree?”

“Only if the big kitty here waits for another minute,” Tristan said.

Joey looked back at his sister then back at the monster. “You guys have about fifteen seconds…make it count.” He started running away, knowing the beast would come after him. Sure enough, he heard it running after him. But there was no way he’d be able to outrun something like that. A heavy weight pushed him down from behind. He tried to roll away from it, but the tiger had him right where it wanted him. It brought its claws down on his chest, easily tearing through his clothes and skin and biting at his neck.

Serenity watched in horror as her older was being mauled by the tiger. Her brother didn’t even look recognizable anymore. His throat had been ripped out, his chest and torso were being ripped open and had punctured wounds from it bit him. And his face had deep cuts. She jumped off the tree, ignoring Tristan and Amane. “JOEY!!!” Before she could even reach him, a bright blue blast shot the tiger down. She ran to her brother, kneeling next to him. “Joey! Please don’t die!” she begged. Her heart wouldn’t be able to take it. She didn’t want her last sight of Joey to be of him being mauled. “Joey!”

Her brother didn’t respond.

“What happened?”

She looked up to where the voice came from, eyes widening at who she saw. “Seto Kaiba?”

But he didn’t say anything to her. All he could see was the bloodied body that was next to her. It wasn’t until the wind blew and carried the faint scent of honey milk that he realized who it was.

And he didn’t hear any of his comrades or his brothers appear. He didn’t hear anything. All he heard was a faint and slowing heartbeat coming from Joey.


	7. Chapter 7

Yami growled as he heard phone ringing. He turned over and picked it up. “What is it?” he snapped, brushing his fingers through Yugi’s hair when he felt him stirring.

“Yami…,” Shadi said quietly, almost like he was…horrified.

He sat up immediately, releasing Yugi, who woke up and looked at him. Yami didn’t have a good feeling about what Shadi had to say. “What happened? Is someone hurt? Did Arkana attempt to attack here?”

Shadi was silent for a few seconds which was never good. “Your mate’s friends…,” he started. “They must’ve accidentally found the portal to the island. Arkana had one of his monsters here. I’m afraid the one named Joey has been fatally injured. He was mauled by the monster before Seto could get there.”

Yami felt his heart drop as he heard the explanation. He knew Yugi was reading his mind and close to tears. “Will he be okay?”

“……No,” Shadi replied. “Unless one of us bounds his spirit to theirs, I’m afraid he won’t live through the night. The only thing holding his spirit to this is his sister. He doesn’t wish to abandon her until he knows she’s safe.”

He and Yugi got up and started dressing into their clothes and ran out the door. “Where are you now? Yugi and I are on our way.”

“We’re at my house. Everyone is here,” Shadi told him. “Get here soon, pharaoh.”

Yami hung up the phone and rushed downstairs with his mate. “They’re at Shadi’s house. Let’s go.”

“Joey’s not gonna make it, is he?” Yugi asked.

“He will,” Yami told him. “I won’t let your friend die.” He let his wings out and picked up his mate. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep him alive for you.”

`~`~`~`

Seto was looking at the girl crying for her brother. Never did he think that Joey Wheeler would be this close to death. The boy had always seemed…too stubborn. He’d seen Joey fight off bullies in school and even seen him get hit with a metal pipe and didn’t cry out in pain. So to see that same vibrant boy as he is now was…surreal.

Tristan slammed him against the wall and held the collar of his shirt with both hands, glaring at him. “What the hell was that, Kaiba? How do you have wings and what was that thing that attacked Joey?”

He shoved the boy away from him and fixed his shirt. “I don’t have to explain anything to you, Taylor.”

“The hell you don’t!” Tristan shouted and pushed him back. “My friend is dying and no one is helping him!”

“He’s almost gone from this world,” Shadi said as he appeared. “I healed as best as I could, but his body is slowly shutting down. His spirit is barely holding on.”

Serenity gasped and looked up at him. “He’s going to die?”

Shadi nodded. “Yes. The only thing holding him to this world is you. He refuses to leave you alone.”

She looked at her brother, gently taking his hand into hers. As much as she wanted him to stay, she knew he would be suffering and she couldn’t ask him to do that for her any more. He always made sure she was safe whenever their father was home and always took the beatings for her. But now, she had the choice to free him. “Joey, I’ll…be okay,” she said quietly, trying to keep her voice from shaking. “I know you’re suffering. You thought I didn’t know, but I know your ribs were still healing and that you had that cut on your arm that has stitches. And now with this, I don’t want you to suffer any more. I’ll be okay.”

“You’re going to let him die?” Seto asked her. He was appalled that she would just let him go. If it was one of his brothers, he would be ordering them to stay alive. His younger brothers were the only reason he would get up in the morning and his twin brother was the only reason he stayed sane.

“I can’t let him suffer,” she said, trying to hold back her tears. “He finally has the chance to be free of all the abuse. I can’t be selfish.”

“He wouldn’t be suffering if he would stop picking fights with everyone,” Seto said coolly.

Everyone looked in shock as they saw Serenity stand up and slap him. “How dare you,” she said quietly. “Don’t judge him because of his past actions. He’s more noble and selfless and more of a man than you’ll ever be, Seto Kaiba.”

Yugi ran inside the room. “Is he still alive?”

Serenity nodded sadly. “Yes, but he’s barely holding on. Yugi, I can’t let him…”

He knew what she was trying to say. “I know,” he said. “But Yami knows a way to keep him alive for sure. Physically, he has a long road of recovery ahead, but we can save him.”

Seto saw the former pharaoh walk in along with Bakura. He read the thoughts of how Yami planned to keep Joey alive. “You plan on binding his soul to yours?”

“Yes,” Yami answered.

“You’ve already claimed the boy as yours and you’re planning on claiming another human?” Seto asked as if he was shocked. Joey was still his mate, unclaimed, but still his. He was the only one allowed to have that connection with him.  He pushed the pharaoh outside of the room and shut the door so that the humans wouldn’t hear them. Bakura would be able to hear though. “I won’t let you do it. He’s my mate.”

“And you refused to claim and denied him as yours,” Yami pointed out. “If I remember correctly, you said that you’re looking forward to eternity without him. This is the only way to ensure that he lives and you refuse to save him, so I’m going to volunteer myself. Yugi knows what binding Joey’s soul to mine means and he is fine with the decision.” He started to walk back, but Seto slammed him against the wall.

“You will _not_ touch him!” Seto growled.

Yami growled back and shoved him away, his eyes swirling with gold in them. “And you will not tell me what to do. You’ve damned your own mate to living a lonely existence and now you refuse to let others help him because you’re claiming he’s yours. How selfish can you be, Seto Kaiba?”

“You can’t touch my mate if I didn’t give you permission,” Seto told him.

“I can if you denied him as yours, which you’ve made very clear that you have,” Yami snapped back. He turned away from him. “You may want him dead, but he has others that want him alive and need him. Joey is a better person than you think, but you refuse to look beneath the surface.” He walked away and entered the room, seeing Yugi look at him. “He won’t do anything.”

“What are you going to do to my brother?” Serenity asked.

Yami looked at his mate then at her. “I’m going to do something that’ll insure that he lives. His soul is trying to leave his body right now, so I’m going to bind his soul to mine. It’ll give us time to heal his body.”

Serenity looked at her brother. “Please do whatever you can to save him. I don’t want him to die. He needs to live and be happy for once in his life.”

Before Yami could say anything, the ceiling was suddenly ripped off and he saw the Blue-Eyes White Dragon staring down at them. “Seto!” The dragon glared at him for a few seconds and he could see what the man was going to do. He was going to take Joey away from here. “Seto! We’re trying to save Jo-!” The dragon flapped his wings hard, blowing everyone away from the bed. Yami hit the wall hard, seeing Yugi and the others hit the wall as well. The only one who managed to stay was Serenity.

She was clinging onto the sheets tightly, trying her best not to cry. She had to be brave now. Her brother wasn’t going to defend her this time. She looked up, seeing the dragon staring right at her in the eye. It was growling down at her. She threw herself over her brother’s body. “Please don’t hurt him!”

The dragon just stared at her as it gently nudged her away from Joey and took him in its arms. Seto could see that the girl was about to say something. **_Don’t worry, I won’t hurt him._** He assured her then flew off. He looked down at the boy he was holding in his arms. Joey looked so fragile and weak, nothing like the loud and obnoxious boy he was used to seeing.

He had to hurry though. Not only was Joey’s spirit trying to leave his body, but he knew it would only be a matter of time before his brothers along with their comrades would come after him. He had to do this.

`~`~`~`

Yami stood up, looking at where Seto flew. “I’m going after him.”

Yugi grabbed onto his arm. “Not by yourself!” he said. “I’m going with you!”

“I can’t take you with me, Yugi,” Yami said calmly. “If worse comes to worse, I don’t want you to be anywhere near danger. Stay here with your friends and I will call Seto’s brothers to help me.  Hopefully they’re not involved with what just happened.”

“What happened, pharaoh?” Shadi asked as he walked in. He looked around, seeing Yugi’s friends standing up. “Where’s the injured boy?”

“Seto took him,” Yami answered. “Stay here while I go find him. Who knows what he’s going to do to Joey.”

Serenity was still looking at where Seto flew. “He’s not going to hurt him,” she said quietly. “I heard Seto’s voice say he wasn’t going to hurt Joey.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Yami told her. “How selfish can this man be?”

“I don’t care what he does with the boy,” Bakura growled as he pulled a piece glass out of his chest. “He injured _my_ mate. I’m the only one allowed to injure him.”

The former pharaoh saw how Ryou shivered in fright when Bakura said that. He would have to do something about the two of them later. Even though it seemed like he was going to have the same situation with them as he was having with Seto and Joey. “Bakura, leave Ryou alone,” he ordered. “And help me find Seto.”

The thief king snorted. “Fine, but I expect payment for doing this.”

`~`~`~`

Set looked down at the human boy lying on the ground, covered in bandages with severe wounds. “You shouldn’t have taken him, Seto,” he said to his brother. “You’ve denied this boy as your mate and the pharaoh was going to bind him to him. That’s the only way to save him. How can you be so selfish?”

“Why does everyone keep asking me that?” Seto muttered sarcastically. “Joey Wheeler is _my_ mate.”

“And you have denied him,” Set pointed out. “You’ve thrown away what little hope any of us have. Let Yami bind his soul to him and be gone from this boy’s life. He’s suffered enough at the hands of his father. The last thing he needs is more suffering from you.”

Seto ignored him. He kneeled down next to Joey, taking his hand into his. “What do you mean by he’s suffered at the hands of his father?”

“Do you really not know or are you just ignorant?” Set asked. “His father beats him every night. Joseph was recovering from three broken ribs before this attack. This boy deserves to be happy. _You_ deserve to be happy. Yes, you and him argue a lot but I know you can grow to care for this boy as much as you care for me and our brothers. Why can’t you accept what the gods have blessed you with?”

“ _Blessed?_ You call me having this mongrel as my mate _blessed?_ ” Seto hissed at him. “I don’t believe in something like blessings. This boy is nothing to me.”

Set didn’t back down and growled at his brother. “You have a chance of having something none of us have. And you’re throwing it away, Seto. Why are you even saving this boy if you don’t want him? You said he’s nothing to you and yet, you’re saving him.”

“I just don’t want Yami to touch what is technically mine,” Seto replied. He took the bandages around Joey’s neck off. He tried not to show anything when he saw the puncture wounds still leaking a little bit of blood. “I’ll save him so I don’t have to hear Yami’s mate whine.” He bit down on the wound, feeling Joey’s blood fill his mouth along with his thoughts and memories.

Joey’s eyes snapped opened as he felt a burning pain run through his entire body. His neck felt like it was on fire. He tried to scream but nothing came out. He opened his eyes, seeing something brown over him. _What’s going on? Why do I feel like my neck is on fire?_ He felt whatever was biting let up and saw deep blue eyes. Why did they look so familiar? He swore he’d seen them before…

Seto looked down into Joey’s brown eyes. “Now you can’t die,” he told him.

_No…I can’t die. I don’t want to die. But I don’t want to go back to that life…_ Joey thought.

“Then fight for yourself,” Seto snapped as he read his thoughts. “I’ve saved your life. Now Yami and his mate can be happy and not blame me for your death.” He walked off before he heard any more thoughts from him. He’d seen enough for tonight.

Set watched his brother leave the area. If he could feel it, he knew he would be feeling anger and annoyance right now. He knelt next to Joey’s body, seeing the bite mark healing rapidly and slowly turning into the form of his and Seto’s dragon. “I apologize for Seto’s behavior,” Set said quietly, wishing he could feel apologetic. “I will return you to your friends. Your sister was very worried. But you will live now and your wounds will heal faster, hopefully.”

Joey couldn’t say anything. The fire in his neck had dulled down now all he felt was a stinging sensation. What did Kaiba do to him? Did he really bite him? He had so many questions, but he was too tired. All he remembered clearly was that Kaiba told him he couldn’t die now.

“I’m taking you back to your friends. I’m sure they’re worried about you.” Set picked him up gently, trying his best to not hurt or jostle him too much. Deciding not to scare the boy more than necessary, he summoned his dragon wings and flew back to Shadi’s mansion. “I do hope you forgive Seto for his…gruff manner. He wasn’t like this before we lost our emotions. I suppose after two thousand years of not feeling everything then to see what you’ve been through would be too much for anyone to process. I just hope he makes the right decision for not only himself, but for you.”

“Set!” Yami was flying towards him along with Shadi. “Where is Seto? What did he do to Joey?”

“He did exactly what he said he was going to do,” Set replied as they landed. “Joey will be fine now. His wounds are healing a little bit faster now. So I’m sure he’ll be completely healed in a few weeks, barring any more attacks.”

“How selfish can your brother be?” Yami asked with a sigh. “He’s denied the boy as his mate and refuses to let us help him. Now he’s bound the boy to him and Joey is going to be miserable.”

“Then let’s hope my brother makes the right decision sometime in the future,” Set said. “Don’t tell Mokuba or Noah. I don’t know how they’ll handle something like this. I’ll wait for the right moment to tell them. I don’t think they’ll be too pleased to hear that our brother has thrown away any hope we have left.”

“There is still hope,” Yami told him. “I’ve found my mate after two thousand years. Bakura, though he might deny him as well, has found his. That alone shows that there’s still hope.”

Set snorted at that. “You’re saying there’s hope for all of us because a psychotic bastard found his other half?”

Yami shrugged, giving his companion a slight smirk. “It’s the only thing I can think of.” He took Joey from him. “I’ll take Joey back to his friends and sister. Tell Seto he’s not to come near him until he makes a full recovery. If he tries to pull a stunt like this again, he will have to answer to me.”

Set nodded, handing Joey back to Yami. “Understood, my pharaoh. I’ll make he doesn’t come near Joseph.”

The pharaoh watched him fly off then looked at Shadi. “Do you think Seto will do something like this again?”

“I’m not sure,” Shadi replied. “But I will guard Joseph when you can’t. The boy has been through too much not just physically, but emotionally. With this connection now, he will feel like a piece of him is missing since Seto refuses to claim him.”

“I know,” Yami growled. “He’s damned Joey to a half-life. Why would he do this?”

Shadi didn’t bother answering him, taking Joey from him. “Let’s head back. I’m sure his sister is worried about him despite Seto assuring her that he wouldn’t hurt him.”

Yami nodded and flew off with him back to Shadi’s house. He already told Yugi telepathically that they found Joey safe and sound and that they were on their way. After all this, he couldn’t wait to hold Yugi in his arms.

`~`~`~`

Ishizu was sitting next to the bed Odion was resting on along with her siblings. Malik had fallen asleep while Kisara was brushing her fingers through his hair, something that their mother used to do to soothe them. “Do you think Joey will be okay?” she asked Ishizu.

The older woman shook her head. “I’m not sure. If what I’ve seen in my vision is true, we don’t have to worry about him physically.”

“But emotionally, he’ll be lost,” Kisara stated. “Do you believe that the legends are true? About Pharaoh Yami and his men?”

“We’ve seen with our own eyes that it’s true,” Ishizu said quietly so she wouldn’t wake up their brothers. “And it appears that Odion was a dragon this whole and didn’t know it. The dragon in him must’ve been in a dormant state. Odion has aged…”

“But now that the dragon has awakened, he won’t age no more, will he?” Kisara asked. “He’s immortal now. He can still be killed, but age is something he has to worry about.”

Ishizu nodded, looking at their older brother. He’d always been the one protecting them from anything and everything in life. Keeping them safe from their father whenever he was upset or taking their punishments. Though Odion still blamed himself for not being able to protect Malik that one time…She shook her head. Now wasn’t the time to be reminiscing about the past, she had to figure out what to do next from here. The darkness was coming and they had to find a way to stop it. “Do you think there are answers in Egypt?”

Kisara frowned, shrugging. “I’m not sure. You think the pyramids might have something to help us? Or one of the temples?”

“I’m thinking…home,” Ishizu admitted. “The Tomb of the Nameless Pharaoh might hold the answers to defeating our enemy.”

“You know what happened last time,” Kisara said grimly. “The further we explore, the more dangerous it becomes. We barely made it out last with the remaining Millennium Items. Why would you even think about going back there, sister?”

“It might be the key to defeating our enemies, Kisara,” Ishizu said. “I know how the tomb works and I can make it back okay. It’s a necessary risk. Odion can’t take on all of the risks for us.”

“And I’m not letting you take it!” Kisara raised her voice, standing up and staring her sister down. “You and Malik are the only true tom-”

Ishizu stood up too. “Don’t even go there, sister. Mother loved you and Odion as though you were her own children. You and Odion were the only children she had before Malik and I came along. She doted on all of us. Bond is just as thick blood. No matter what, all four of us are the last tomb guardians and still siblings.”

“Then as your older sister, I forbid you from going back,” Kisara stated.

Ishizu just gave her an emotionless stare. “I’m going, Kisara. Even you know I have to.”

Kisara looked away from her, staring at their sleeping brothers. She did love her brothers even though they weren’t blood related. She remembered the time her mother told her of how she found her in the desert while she was pregnant with Ishizu. She and Ishizu were only two months apart and practically grew up like twins together. Their mother would even call them twins. But Ishizu was always the stronger one between them. “I can’t stop you, can I?”

“You can try,” Ishizu said. “But you know I’ll never give up.” She walked over to her sister, holding her hand. “Please, give me your blessing to go. I won’t leave until I have it.”

The white-haired woman smiled sadly, looking at her. “You know you have my blessing. Just promise that you’ll be careful.”

“I will,” Ishizu promised. “Don’t tell Yugi or the others until I’m gone.” She gave both of her brothers a kiss on the cheek then hugged her sister. “Make sure Malik doesn’t do anything reckless.” She walked away, leaving the room and continued to the front door. She knew where the portal was and that she was risking her life by going alone. But she had to find the answers before the darkness could take over the world.

“Do you really think you can go to Egypt and not expect an attack?” a voice asked her. She turned around, seeing the man, Shadi.

“I have to try,” she said. “If what you claim is true, Zorc is going to be revived and we need to know how to stop him.”

“We did stop him, once,” Shadi told her.

“And all of you lost the part of your souls that were light,” she countered. “Being nothing but darkness, how do you intend to defeat him? Seal him up again? It won’t do us any good if his followers are just going to break it. You can try to stop me, but it won’t work.”

“I don’t intend on stopping you,” Shadi replied. “I intend to send someone to assist you.”

“Don’t bother,” Ishizu told him. “They’ll only get in my way.”

“Not if he’s the one who helped me make the tomb,” Shadi pointed out. “He’ll be able to help you and get you the answers you seek.”

The young Egyptian woman just looked at him as if contemplating his words. “Then send him over when he’s ready. I’m leaving now.”

Shadi watched the young woman walk off. “I’ll send him as soon as possible,” he said quietly as he walked back to his room.

`~`~`~`

Yugi was now back at Yami’s mansion with him after making sure would be safe. This time, Yami left him at his old friend, Mahad’s home. He guaranteed that Seto wouldn’t be anywhere near the place since he and Mahad didn’t exactly get along with each other. And with Bakura guarding as well, Seto wouldn’t be trying to visit any time soon. “Are you okay?” Yugi asked him once they stepped inside. “I was scared when you left. Did Seto give you any trouble?”

The older man shook his head as he walked to his study. “No, he was already gone by the time Shadi and I got there. Set was already flying back with Joey. Though I fear this is only the beginning for Joey. Seto has bound Joey to him and unless he claims him, Joey will always feel as though a part of him is missing. Had they not been Soul Mates, Joey wouldn’t feel anything.” He stood in front of his desk, looking at the books he’d been reading before all of this happened. Before he met Yugi…Now he was planning for war again. Was it too much to ask for some peace in his life when something finally went right? Now he had everything to lose.

The smaller boy hugged him from behind, hating to see his beloved pharaoh look so defeated. “Hey, we’ll figure something out,” he assured, smiling when he saw Yami look back at him. “We know what you’re up against and I’m willing to help in any way I can. And I know my friends will too. I’m sure Ishizu and her family know something on how to defeat Zorc once and for all.”

Yami chuckled, turning around and held him close, nuzzling his hair. “Thank you, Little Light.” He lifted the boy’s chin, kissing the soft lips. “You always seem to know what to say to make the burden easier. And I promise I’ll bring your grandfather back.”

“I know you will,” Yugi said, kissing him again.

* * *

So, I’m still thinking about making this into a series. Your thoughts on it?

Next chapter coming(hopefully!) soon!


	8. Chapter 8

** Warnings **

Puzzleshipping: Rated T Protectshipping: Rated K Puppyshipping: Mentioned

Semi-transformation, mentions of sex, Bakura madness, and MARIK!

* * *

 

“Have they found out about you six yet?” a woman asked the six figures standing before her.

“No, they haven’t,” the oldest man said. “We made sure to stay out of sight during the fight.”

“But now they have Joey and the others,” the second oldest female said, stepping towards the woman. “Joey was injured and almost died. What good are we going to be if we can’t be there to save them?”

The woman looked away. “I’m sorry to hear about your friend, but we can’t let the dark ones find out about us. I’ve told you before, you six are the secret trump cards that even the pharaoh doesn’t know about. It’s why I’ve trained you so hard all these years. The darkness is coming.”

“So we’re just going to sit around in the shadows until you give us permission?” the oldest female asked sarcastically. “You’re treating us like children and I feel insulted.”

The woman growled and stared them down. “I’m not treating you like children. I’m treating you like the warriors I raised you to be. And a warrior knows when to attack.”

“What do we do if we find ourselves in trouble?” the youngest female asked, pushing her glasses up. “You don’t expect to lie down and surrender, do you?”

The woman shook her head. “No. I expect all of you to do whatever you have to in order to survive. So I ask that all of you to trust me now as you did when I first found the six of you two thousand years ago. Do you still trust me?”

“You know we do,” the second oldest male replied. “You’re our mother, our sister, and our friend. We just don’t like seeing our friends get hurt and we almost lost Joey. Now he’s Bonded to Seto Kaiba.”

“I see…I fear Seto has done something that will do him and Joey more harm than good,” the woman said. “Just keep an eye on them. That’s all I ask.”

The six of them nodded. “Yes ma’am.”

* * *

 

Yugi woke up feeling strong wrapped around him. The last thing he remembered was sitting by Joey’s bedside and falling asleep there. He knew Yami must’ve carried him back to his mansion so that he could sleep comfortably. He turned in his Soul Mate’s arms, looking at him sleep. Yami looked so young when he was asleep that Yugi almost found it hard to believe that this was a great pharaoh and leader to the dragons. He traced his finger along Yami’s eyebrows down to his nose then his lips.

“What are you doing, Little Light?” Yami suddenly asked while his eyes were still closed.

Yugi pulled and smiled playfully when the former pharaoh opened his eyes. “Nothing,” he said. “Just looking at you.”

Yami looked at him, holding his hand. “I need to go check on Seto and make sure he never comes near Joey. I fear he’s probably done more harm than good and Joey will be the one to suffer the most.”

“Will…will he live?” Yugi asked.

Yami nodded, squeezing his hand gently in comfort. “Yes, he’ll live, but he’ll feel a small emptiness inside him due to Seto claimed him. But since they’re not Bonded, Joey is going to feel like a piece of himself is missing. It’s not going to be an easy road, but I’m sure your friend will make it.”

“Was Seto always this selfish?” How could he do such a thing to Joey? He knew he and Joey never got along while they were in school. Seto had always made fun of Joey for being a little slower than everyone else in school and always treated him like a second-class citizen.

“Yes,” Yami answered truthfully. “He’s never loved anyone except his brothers, including Noah. It even took him a few years to even get to that point. He honestly hated Noah. But eventually, he saw that Noah was just as much as a victim as he was to Gozaburo, their father. He adopted Set, Seto, and Mokuba shortly after Mokuba was born.”

Yugi frowned when he heard that Seto hated Noah at first, considering how protective he always was of the seemingly younger man. “He only loves Noah because he’s a good brother to Mokuba…doesn’t he?”

Yami sighed, turning to lie on his back and looked up at the ceiling. “I’m sure a small part of him loves Noah. But I fear you’re right. Had Mokuba and Set perished, he probably wouldn’t spare Noah a second glance and leave him. But Noah knows of this, I’m sure. He’s always been closer to Set and Mokuba. The only time I ever see him and Seto even come close to talking is when they’re playing chess.”

“That’ sad,” Yugi said sadly. “My friends and I have known each other a long time. I grew up with Ryou and Amane during my childhood. I met Joey and Tristan in middle school. We didn’t really get along at first and they would pick on me, but after I defended them in a fight, we became friends. And through Joey, I met Serenity. Then, Malik came along when we started high school along with Téa and the others. They’re really the only family I have…other than you and my grandpa.” He rested his head on Yami’s shoulder, looking up at the older man. Had his life changed a lot since he met this man? Yes, yes it did. Finding out all the myths he used to read about were real was something life-changing. And finding out that he was a mate to a famous pharaoh? Yup, that was something he never expected not to mention the fact that he’d never been in a relationship before and now he was…mated.

“I’m sorry for screwing up your life,” Yami said, bringing him out of his thoughts. He could hear Yugi’s thoughts going through his head at the moment and felt regret that he brought this whole mess into his life. Had he not been selfish and claimed the boy, Yugi would’ve been safe right now with his grandfather and all his friends wouldn’t be in danger.

Yugi sat up a little and rested his forehead against Yami’s and looked him in the eye. “I don’t regret anything,” he told him. “I admit that this is moving a little fast for me, but I’ll adjust. Can we just…take it slow on the…physical part?” He didn’t want to say “sex” out loud because it sounded embarrassing and he was never any good at talking about the subject.

The pharaoh chuckled and nodded, kissing him on the tip of his nose. “Yes. I’m sorry that I’ve been moving this relationship of ours too fast for you. But I promise I’ll do my best to court you from now on.”

Now Yugi laughed, resting his head on the older man’s chest, listening to his heartbeat. “I think we’re past the courting phase, but I don’t mind anything else. I just don’t know if I’m ready to…” He felt his cheeks heat up again.

“Don’t worry,” Yami assured him, combing his fingers through his hair. “I’ll wait until you’re ready.”

“Thank you,” Yugi said gratefully, leaning up to give him a peck on the lips. “Can we go see Joey? I wanna make sure he’s okay.”

“Yes,” Yami replied. “I have to talk to Shadi and the others so you can stay with your friends.” They got up and he turned around to give Yugi some privacy as they changed clothes, willing his body to not react at the thought of his Little Light naked behind him. Once they were done and went downstairs, Yami handed Yugi his shirt. “I’ll need you to hold this so I don’t tear it when I have my wings out.”

Yugi watched in amazement as a smaller version of Yami’s dragon form’s red wings suddenly appeared behind him. And he saw that Yami’s ruby red eyes had turned yellow and that red and black lined tattoos appeared on his face all the way down to his torso. He reached out and traced along one red line. “D-Does it hurt when you summon your wings?”

“A little,” Yami admitted. “We have three forms. One is our human form and of course you know my dragon form. This one that I am now is what we call our demi-human form. Not exactly human, but not exactly dragon. This is the form we must be in when we Mark our mate.”

“And what do you mean by Mark? I don’t think you explained that much to me,” Yugi said, looking up at him. He noticed that Yami had fangs as well, wondering if they had something to do with what Yami was about to explain to him.

“To Mark means I bite down on an area where I want my Mark at and show others that I’ve claimed you as mine. The bite mark will eventually turn into my symbol and becomes a Mark. Only then will our Bond be complete,” Yami explained.

“But I thought we were Bonded…?” Yugi asked.

Yami shook his head. “No, I haven’t Bonded with you, Yugi. If I did, our life forces would be connected and we would both be immortal unless we choose to give it up. But the Bond is only complete when I leave my Mark on you. It’s up to you if you want it.”

“Is that what Seto did to Joey? He Marked him and now they’re Bonded?” Yugi asked.

“Yes, and that is exactly why I planned on leaving that decision up to you to begin with,” Yami told him. “I don’t want to force that on you. Most of my people, the dominant ones, wouldn’t even give their Soul Mates a choice and force their mate to Bond with them.”

And for that, Yugi loved him even more. Despite everything in him yelling at him to claim Yugi like that, Yami was willing to be patient and give him the time he needed to adjust to all of this. Even though their time together was very short, they knew everything about each other and Yami didn’t hide anything from him. “Thank you, Yami. I really do appreciate that you’re giving me time.”

The pharaoh didn’t say anything and picked him up bridal style then started flying to Shadi’s home. “No, thank you for handling this situation so gracefully. Most people would’ve run and not look back.”

“And most people don’t know about the Shadow Realm or wield its powers,” Yugi said with a smile.

They got to the house in no time and Yami changed back into his human form, putting his shirt on before they went inside. Shadi and Mahad were standing at the end of the stairs, talking to one another then looked at them. “Pharaoh,” Mahad said, bowing to him.

Yami chuckled as he shook his head. “Mahad, I’ve told you, you don’t have to do that,” he said then looked at Yugi. “Yugi, this is my good friend, Mahad. He was my right hand during my short reign as pharaoh along with our friend, Mana.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Yugi said, holding his hand out.

Mahad shook his hand and nodded. “And it is good to meet you, Yugi. I must say that you’re handling this situation rather well.”

“I try,” Yugi joked then turned to Shadi. “How’s Joey? Is he doing any better?”

“He’ll be fine,” Shadi told him. “Most of the minor wounds have healed, but it might take a few weeks for the major wounds to completely heal. Your friend is safe though. But hopefully he won’t be emotionally…scarred when he realizes what Seto has done.”

Yugi nodded then looked at Yami. “I’m going up to go see him and the others.” He walked upstairs to where Joey was, seeing Serenity sitting by the bed with Amane while Tristan was standing on the other side of the room with Ryou and Malik. “Hey guys.”

“Yugi,” Tristan said, walking over to him. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Are you okay?” he asked his friend.

“I think all of us are a little bruised and sore from being thrown into the wall by a dragon, but we’re fine,” Tristan tried to joke, chuckling a little with his friends. Then his face turned serious as he looked down at his smaller friend. “That man isn’t forcing you to be with him, is he?”

Yugi shook his head, giving his friend a reassuring smile. “No, Tristan. I’m with him of my own will. Yami treats me well.”

The older boy sighed in relief, rubbing his hand over his face. “Good. It’s bad enough that the guy that’s claiming Ryou as his is treating him like crap and I have to stay nearby so he doesn’t harass him. Plus, Ishizu is leaving for Egypt today, Odion is still out, and Joey is out. I’m the only one left to guard the rest of you from these psychotic men. And I can’t exactly bring Téa and the others into this mess, but it would be a big help if Valon and Alister were here.”

Yugi smiled sadly at his friend, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. “You can protect everyone all the time, my friend. You need someone who can protect you.” It was true. For as long as he had been friends with Joey and Tristan, the two of them always looked out for Yugi and the others even after Odion, Valon, and Alister appeared. Yugi knew Joey was always on guard all day and every day due to living with his father and protecting Serenity from his wrath. Tristan was always making sure the rest of them got home okay and dropping them off wherever when he wasn’t working. The two of them desperately needed someone to look after them though he knew his friends would never admit it.

And now Joey was Bonded to Seto Kaiba…that was something Yugi didn’t expect. He wouldn’t have the same love with Seto that he and Yami had nor would Seto ever look at him without disgust.

Tristan looked over at Joey and grimaced at the sight of his best friend looking so fragile. Not something he was used to at all. He was used to seeing him with a few broken ribs or a swollen face, but nothing like this. “No, I can’t protect all of you all the time, but I can sure as hell try,” he stated. “I won’t let that bastard hurt Ryou again and I won’t let Kaiba hurt Joey either.”

Yugi didn’t say anything and walked over to the bed, sitting in a chair on the opposite side of Serenity and Amane, looking at Joey. Most of the bandages were gone, showing that he was healing, but his entire chest and torso were still wrapped as was his neck. He looked over to Serenity, seeing that the younger girl looked like she hadn’t slept much. “Serenity, he’s going to be okay,” he said. “I asked Shadi and he said that Joey isn’t in danger anymore. You should get some sleep.”

She shook her head. “I can’t. I want to be here when he wakes up.”

“I don’t think he’ll be waking up for another day or two,” Tristan pointed out. “He’s been through some serious stuff and it’ll probably be a while before he’s fully conscious. Get some sleep. Your brother will kick my ass if he sees that I didn’t take care of ya.”

Serenity nodded and stood up with Amane. The white-haired girl looked at them. “I’ll keep an eye on her and make sure no one comes in.” They walked out of the room, going to the guest room next to Joey’s room.

Ryou sat down on the chair that his sister had been sitting on while Tristan sat down next to him on the chair that Serenity occupied. “At least the worst has passed,” he said quietly.

Yugi nodded in agreement. “Yeah, but we still have other things to worry about…has Bakura said anything to you?”

The white-haired boy shook his head. “No, after Yami returned with Joey, he just growled and shoved me into the wall and said to not ever come near him again. That he’ll break my arm if I do. He was about to-”

“He was about to do just that when Ryou asked him why he’s so mean,” Tristan interrupted, almost growling as he remembered. “I stepped in before that bastard could do anything and shoved him away. He doesn’t know what he’s missing.”

Yugi frowned as he saw that his two friends looked…a little closer than usual. He saw Ryou entwine his hand with Tristan’s and saw the older boy give him a gentle squeeze along with a small smile. The white-haired boy gave him a shy smile then looked at Yugi, seeing the obvious confusion. “Yugi…w-we’re…I mean we-”

Tristan laughed lightly, giving his hand a squeeze again and looked at their friend. “We decided to be together, Yugi,” he stated bluntly. “After seeing that bastard treat Ryou like that last night, I finally fessed up my feelings to him.”

Yugi’s eyes went wide at the news, feeling a little shocked…but then, he always noticed how Tristan was a little more protective of Ryou whenever bullies would pick on them. He wasn’t too surprised at the news, but at the same time, a small part of him wondered how this would affect Bakura. Though he didn’t care much for the man, he knew Yami cared for him and had hoped that he and Ryou would be able to work out their issues, but now with this…he didn’t know what would happen. **_Yami, are you hearing this?_** He asked telepathically.

 ** _Yes, I heard._** Yami replied back. **_I can’t say I’m happy with this. But Bakura has made it clear that he wants nothing to do with Ryou and he’s treated him poorly since he found out that Ryou is an empath, which in his mind is a weakness since Ryou will pass out if the emotions around him get overwhelming. If your friends wish to be together, even if Ryou is technically Bakura’s mate, I won’t stop them. Your friend deserves to be cherished and I know that your friend, Tristan, sees that. I just hope they don’t think all of my comrades are like Bakura and Seto._**

 ** _They don’t. They all see how you are with me…I just wish Seto and Bakura could treasure what they have._** Yugi said. He looked at his friends and gave them a warm smile. “I’m happy for you two,” he said. “So what made you decide to confess your feelings, Tristan? You’re not exactly one for being emotional or having a ‘chick-flick’ moment.”

Tristan fought back the blush that was threatening to appear and coughed nervously into his free hand. “Because I figured now is as good as a time as any. Especially with that bastard treating him like shit.”

Ryou rested his head on his shoulder, feeling Tristan’s slight embarrassment and his affection. “I guess…it was only a matter of time. Y-You know I’ve always…liked Tristan,” he said, feeling his cheeks turn red. And it was true. A part of him had always been interested in the older boy even back when they were in high school. But he never thought much of it because he assumed Tristan was straight since he’d dated nothing but girls.

Yugi laughed, nodding in agreement. “I know. I’m glad you two are together. I hope you treat him right, Tristan.”

“Of course,” Tristan said with a smirk. “I’ll never treat him like that. I plan to treasure him.”

* * *

 

The three of them continued talking to each other, never noticing the pair of eyes watching them from afar through the window. Mostly watching Tristan and Ryou interact with each other, sharing intimate looks, and their hands…

Bakura growled as he saw the brown-haired male bring Ryou’s hand up to his lips and kissed it, seeing his would-be mate blush at the action. He wanted nothing more than to go in there and beat the brown-haired male into a bloody pulp for touching what was his. And a part of him couldn’t believe that Ryou was with him when the white-haired boy knew he belonged to him and only him. He considered this a betrayal…and he would punish the boy for it.

“You’re not going to touch him,” Yami said from behind him.

Bakura glared back at him, snarling. “He’s _mine_. How dare he go off with another man. A _human_ at that!”

Yami didn’t show any emotion and looked over to where Bakura had been staring, seeing the two human males hold each other’s hands then looked back at his comrade. “You’ve said that you don’t want Ryou,” Yami pointed out. “You’ve denied him as yours and he’s free to be with whoever he wants. And he wants Tristan.”

“The human boy can’t defend him properly! He can’t take control!” Bakura shouted.

“And Ryou doesn’t need someone who will treat him like a slave,” Yami snapped. “He needs someone that’ll treasure him, treat him like a gem. That boy has been emotionally abused by his father and he needs someone that can care for him.”

“Save it,” Bakura snapped back. “Shadi already told me everything and I don’t feel like hearing it again.”

Yami sighed as he began walking away. “I’ll tell you this once, Bakura. Stay away from Ryou unless you’re going to treat him well or to protect him. Don’t ruin his relationship with Tristan. That boy is going to treasure what you threw away like trash.”

The white-haired male glared at him until he could no longer see him then looked back at the window, seeing Ryou sleeping with his head on Tristan’s shoulder while the other male talked to Yami’s mate. With a snarl, he turned away and walked off.

* * *

 

Yami returned to Shadi and Mahad. “I need you to keep an eye on him, Shadi,” he said. “I fear that with Tristan and Ryou’s relationship, he might do something to hurt them, especially Ryou.”

“The boy is his mate. He has every right to feel threatened by another male’s presence,” Shadi said bluntly.

“And like Seto, Bakura has denied Ryou as his,” Yami growled. “I’m not going to stand in the way of their relationship.”

“But what if Tristan is the mate of one of us?” Shadi asked. “You know it’s a possibility.”

Yami sighed wearily. “Then, that’s something they’ll have to face on their own. I can’t make those decisions or force them to be break up should that happen.”

“I see…,” Shadi said quietly. “In any case, I’m sending Mahad to Egypt to help the Ishtar woman find answers on how to defeat Zorc. There’s a strong possibility that your ‘tomb’ holds the answers that we need.”

“Her name is Ishizu,” Yami said. “She and her family guarded that place for centuries.”

“And they can be a threat,” Mahad told them. “That family holds great power, my pharaoh. The older man, Odion, had a dormant dragon inside him and who knows what powers the other three hold. Ishizu already knows how to use the powers of the Millennium Necklace, but she’s not without her own powers. The pale woman holds a power in her as well, but I cannot tell what it is. And the youngest one can use the Millennium Rod. They know their powers, pharaoh.”

“They won’t do anything because they know we’re here to protect them and their friends,” Yami pointed out. “Even Ryou has powers in him. Did you not see how Ryou was able to control that one dragon during the battle? His sister, Amane, must also hold some power in her as well if she’s able to be an anchor for him.”

“What are we going to do about finding your mate’s grandfather?” Mahad asked. “Arkana is surely torturing him right now as we speak.”

“He’s bound to strike again,” Yami said quietly. “I’m counting on that and he’s going to be coming after me.”

“Not just you, but your mate also,” Mahad pointed out. “He knows Yugi is with you now and he’ll go after him.”

“I know that, but right now we’re going to continue to act normal,” Yami stated. “Such as letting the rest of them go back to school. Mokuba, Noah, and I are enrolled as students there and maybe we can convince Marik, Bakura, and Duke to either enroll as students or at least hang around the campus and guard them. But Yugi and the others still have other friends back in Domino that are worried about them.”

All of them stiffened when they felt a strong darkness suddenly appear in the room. They looked at the entrance, seeing Marik standing with a grim look on his face. Then he gave an evil smirk, something they would only see when he was about to execute or torture someone.

“So when does class start?”

* * *

 

** Author Notes/Rambles **

This was probably more a filler chapter, but yeah. I will admit, I almost thought of discontinuing this story, but it demands to be written along with the other stories that I plan to write. Yes, I do intend to make this into a series.

Anyways! What do you think of Tristan and Ryou being a couple now? Think Bakura is going to kill Tristan for this?


	9. Chapter 9

** Warnings **

Puzzleshipping: Rated G

Protectshipping: Rated G

Threats with a knife, slight mental torture, Bakura madness, and MARIK!

* * *

 

It was decided that they would return back to their normal lives for now until they were able to track down Arkana. Yugi would be living with Yami while Ryou and Amane would stay at Shadi’s house along with Serenity and the Ishtar family. Odion recovered rather quickly which was due to his dragon heritage healing him at a faster rate though he wasn’t happy to find out that Ishizu left for Egypt. He demanded that he be released so he could go protect her, but Kisara and Marik insisted he stay and finish recovering. After much arguing the older man decided to wait and demanded that Ishizu call them every night so he knew that she was okay.

Yami would have Bakura, Duke, and Marik walking around the campus along with Shadi while Mahad would fly out to Egypt to help Ishizu with finding answers on how to defeat Zorc. Seto was nowhere to be found but all of the dragons assumed he would be watching from afar and not come until he was needed. But Yami was grateful to hear that Set and the younger Kaiba brothers would be helping them protect Yugi and his friends. Mokuba and Noah were already students there and Set agreed to have a few guards out and about in the campus to keep an eye on them.

He was walking Yugi to his next class along with Tristan and Ryou though he did sense that Bakura was nearby, most likely watching the new couple holding hands and sharing smiles with each other. Though he wasn’t too thrilled about it, Yami knew he couldn’t stop them from being together. Considering that Bakura did treat Ryou like trash, he knew that Tristan would cherish the boy like the precious gem that he is.

 ** _Tell that human boy to let go of Ryou…_** Bakura told him telepathically.

 ** _I will not do such a thing, Bakura. He’s not yours and you have no claim on him._** Yami told him harshly.

“Yami, are you okay?” Yugi asked him.

He nodded, squeezing Yugi’s hand in comfort. “Yes, I’m fine. Just ignoring someone that won’t leave me alone.”

 ** _Is it Bakura again?_** Yugi asked.

 ** _Yes, he’s not thrilled with your friends dating and keeps claiming that Ryou is his. I’ve ordered him to back off and not to speak to either of them unless he’s there to protect them. He won’t disobey me._** Yami told him.

**_And how do you know he won’t?_ **

**_Because I’m a lot stronger than him._ **

Once they reached the building, he looked to his mate. “Be careful. If you see anything suspicious, call me. I’m done with my classes for today. I’ll be outside waiting.” He saw Ryou walk in since he had a class in the same building.

Yugi nodded and smiled. “I will. Don’t do anything reckless and try not to get into any fights.” He stood on his toes and gave Yami a quick peck on the cheek.

Yami watched as his mate walked into the building then turned to Tristan. He could sense the young man’s slight unease of being around him, but he figured it was only natural considering that Seto and Bakura did hurt his friends. And now, one of those friends was now his boyfriend. “You don’t have to worry about Yugi, Tristan. I have no intention of hurting him.”

The human male sighed and looked away. “I know, but you can’t say that your people have been model citizens around my friends. First, your friend Bakura tries to claim Ryou as his then tosses him aside because Ryou is an empath. Second, Seto kidnaps Joey and claims him, but refuses to fully claim him because of Joey’s social status. Then, I hear from Malik that your creepy friend, Shadi, stabbed Odion with some weird key and now Odion is a dragon. So tell me, how exactly am I supposed to feel at ease knowing you and your friends always seem to be doing something to mine?”

The pharaoh couldn’t help but chuckle. Yugi told him that Tristan had always been very protective of him, Ryou, Malik, and the girls ever since they met. And described how he and Joey were practically like parents while at the same time, they were like older brothers. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to laugh. It’s just that I find Yugi is right about you.”

Tristan smirked. “Let me guess, something about how I’m like a parent and brother at the same time?” he asked.

“Yes, but I understand why you’re weary of my people. I assure you, I have no intention of hurting Yugi,” Yami said. “When you’ve lived two thousand years of feeling nothing and seeing nothing, you hold onto the one thing that gives you everything like your life depends on it.”

“But your life does depend on it, right?” Tristan countered.

“It does,” Yami admitted. “But had Yugi refused my claim or I left him alone, I probably would not be here right now. Trust me, it baffles me that Seto and Bakura would do this to their chosen.”

Tristan sighed wearily and looked up at the sky. “Just keep him away from Ryou. If he ever hurts him again, I’ll kill him. I don’t care if he’s a dragon and I’m a human. I’ll find a way. Know that.”

“I understand,” Yami said quietly. He knew Tristan spoke the truth. The young man would find a way to kill Bakura if he hurt Ryou. He’d seen inside Tristan’s mind that he’d been close to killing some people before though they were all in a self-defense or when he was defending his friends. The more he dug into the man’s mind, the more violence he saw…He looked at Tristan with wide eyes at the revelation. “Your friend Malik was almost…?”

“Yes,” Tristan said. “This punk, Diesel Kane, had always harassed Yugi and Ryou since middle school. Joey and I protected them from him and his gang, but when Malik came along while we were in high school…that punk found a new target.” He sighed again, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Don’t get me wrong, Malik is one of the toughest guys I’ve ever met. But he didn’t stand a chance against those guys when they ganged up on him. In Diesel’s mind, Malik was fresh and new. And he didn’t take the harassment like Ryou and Yugi. He would dish out the same shit that Diesel gave him and Diesel like that.”

Yami didn’t anything, having seen it all in Tristan’s mind. “You and Joey saved him.”

The young man nodded as he sat down on a nearby bench. “Yeah, but it could’ve been worst. After that, Diesel and his gang were expelled. And Malik doesn’t go anywhere alone. There’s no telling if Diesel and those punks are gonna come back.”

“You can’t protect everyone all the time, Tristan,” Yami said. He looked confused when Tristan started chuckling at that. “Did I say something funny?”

“No, it’s just Yugi said that too,” he told him. “He always tells me that I can’t look after everyone, but I do. I turn my back on them for one second and something happens. He thinks I need someone to look after me. I guess maybe that’s where Joey came in. He looked after me and I looked after him, but now he won’t be able to look after anyone. Kaiba really screwed up.”

Yami suddenly stiffened when he felt the wind blow, feeling something sinister looking at them from afar. He looked around the campus to try and spot who looking at them and saw a figure standing on top of one of the buildings. “Arkana…” He ran to the building with Tristan following behind him. **_Everyone, I see Arkana on top of a building. I’m heading to him right now._**

 ** _Don’t do anything reckless. You have Tristan running after you. If Arkana gets his hands on the boy, you won’t be able to do anything. Tell the boy to stay back._** Mahad told him.

“Tristan, stay here,” Yami told him.

“I’m not staying here when that bastard is threatening my friends!” Tristan snapped.

“And I can’t protect you if he does something,” Yami snapped back. “Stay here and out of the way.” He ran upstairs to the top of the building and saw Arkana standing there, waiting for him. “Where’s Yugi’s grandfather?”

“Not even bothering to greet me? Such horrible manners, pharaoh,” Arkana said with a slight bow. “I see you and your band of freaks are blending in well with the human world. Though you have all the power in the world to rule over them and make them fear you.”

Yami didn’t say anything, making sure to keep a good distance between him and Arkana as he watched the magician warily. “Yet you have power as well and you’re working for Zorc. What does that make you?”

Arkana glared at the former pharaoh but refrained from attacking him. “I’m a man wanting to be with his one true love. I will be reunited with my beloved, Catherine.”

“You’re not taking Yugi from me,” Yami told him. “I won’t let you.”

“But it was because of you I lost everything!” Arkana shouted. “If I hadn’t been training for you, that accident that ruined my face wouldn’t have happened and Catherine wouldn’t have left me!” He began laughing maniacally and shaking his head as though he told a funny joke. “But of course, you don’t care about what happens to me. You didn’t care then and you don’t care now…but you do care what happens to your mate and his friends.” He snapped his fingers and another man wearing a black cloak appeared out of nowhere, and holding Malik captive with a knife to his throat. “I sent my partner to capture one of your mate’s friends. This little one was walking all alone so we took him.”

Malik looked like they had tortured him a little before they brought him here. There was a large slash across his stomach and some cuts on his legs and arms, but the boy wasn’t showing too much emotion on his face. He showed that he was in a little pain, but there was no fear in his eyes. The man holding him captive gave Yami an evil smile, holding the Millennium Rod. “The boy tried to use his powers to control me, but I found this before he could,” he explained and put the rod away where it was hanging on his belt. “Now, Arkana and I are going to propose an exchange. Give us the Millennium items that you have and we’ll let the boy go.”

**_Don’t do it…_ **

Yami frowned when he heard the voice in his head, wondering who it was. He looked at Malik, seeing that the boy seemed to be focusing on him. **_Malik?_**

 ** _They’re going to take those who possess the items since the items don’t burn us. The man holding me has to wear gloves to hold it, but it’s only temporary. Had he held it any longer than a few seconds, it would’ve started burning through his glove. Send your friends to protect Yugi and the others._** Malik told him.

“Give him back,” Yami ordered them.

The man holding the blade pressed it more against the young Egyptian’s neck, causing some blood to appear. “I don’t think so,” he shot back. “We’re taking him with us if you don’t hand over the Millennium items that you hold in your possession.”

**_Shadi, where’s Mahad? Has he reached Egypt yet? They could’ve sent someone after Ishizu if they know who has the Millennium items._ **

**_Mahad is already there and with her. She’s safe._** Shadi assured him.

“Well, what’s your answer, Pharaoh?” the man holding Malik asked.

Yami shook his head. “I won’t hand them over. You’re going to kidnap them since the items won’t burn them. Their souls are pure light.”

The man grinned and pulled the blade away from Malik’s throat but held it near his stomach. “Pure light, but not if we taint them.” He whispered something into Malik’s ear and the young Egyptian’s eyes went wide with fear and he began struggling violently to get away until the man held the knife against his throat again. “But we need them to remain pure until they are no longer needed for their intended purpose. Then, Master Zorc will use them for whatever he wants.”

Yami didn’t like the sound of that, especially given Malik’s reaction to whatever the man had told him. He took a step forward again, his eyes turning gold. “Let him go and we’ll let you live,” he threatened. “Or die trying to escape.”

Arkana and the other man looked around, seeing Shadi, Bakura, and Duke surrounding them, cursing to himself that he didn’t sense them sooner. He glared the pharaoh. “And you think you can threaten us? Do you really think that this is the only bad thing happening to you and your friends? You should be more worried about your beloved friend, Mahad. The Diabound has surely torn him apart and taken the woman.”

 ** _He’s safe. We would’ve heard from him had something happened._** Shadi said calmly.

“What plans does Zorc have for Yugi and the others?” Yami asked.

Arkana and the other man laughed at him. “Oh, that’s for us to know and you to find out,” Arkana sneered and threw something on the ground, making smoke appear.

Yami and the others ran to where he and the other man were at only to find that they disappeared along with Malik. He looked around to see if he could see them anywhere, but found nothing. “Dammit, they couldn’t have gotten far, could they?”

“I fear that they have,” Shadi replied. “I can’t sense them anywhere.”

“I’m going to look around,” Duke told them and disappeared.

 ** _Yami, what’s going on?_** Yugi’s panicked voice asked him. ** _I can’t sense Malik. Did something happen to him?_**

**_I’m sorry, Little Light. Arkana has kidnapped your friend. He and his partner took him while he was walking alone. None of us could save him._ **

Yugi didn’t say anything and Yami knew he was thinking of something. **_You might want to send someone to look after Kisara and Odion. They already know of this and if I know them…they’re going after their brother._**

Yami didn’t have any reason to doubt that. If there was one thing he’s learned about the Ishtar family, they always looked out for each other. They would always go after their siblings if they were in danger, no matter the cost to them. **_I’m sending Set after them. Odion is still weak after his ordeal._**

 ** _Don’t underestimate Kisara._** Yugi warned him. ** _None of us know exactly what her powers are, but she’s very powerful. Even she doesn’t know about her powers. She says it’s always been there, inside her. Whether she can use those powers or not, is still unknown._**

**_The Ishtar family is one that can be a threat to Zorc. Arkana knows of them and I imagine Zorc wants them incapacitated before they become too much of a problem. And with Odion being a dragon…_ **

**_They’re more powerful together. Though each of them can be a problem on their own, but Odion and Kisara always have been quicker to act. I don’t think Set is going to be able catch them._** Yugi told him.

 ** _Set, were able to stop them?_** Yami asked,

 ** _No, I wasn’t. They’re really good at covering their tracks so I can’t follow them, but I’m sure they’re going after Arkana and his partner._** Set replied.

Yami swore under his breath and walked back, seeing that Tristan was still waiting on the stairs. He shook his head when the young man looked up at him. “I’m afraid they have Malik now…”

Tristan’s eyes went wide in shock and disbelief then he turned away and swore out loud. “Dammit! I knew I should’ve walked him to his class. With all this crap going on, I should’ve known that even that short distance to his next class would’ve made him target. Why weren’t your people guarding him?”

“I don’t know how they managed to sneak in,” Yami answered honestly. “Arkana has always been a master at tricks and illusions. He and his partner must’ve been watching us since we set foot on campus. It’s not your fault, Tristan. You didn’t know this was going to happen and they probably would’ve killed you had you gotten in the way.”

“But maybe I could’ve distracted them long enough for him to get away,” he snapped. He looked at his cell phone, seeing that it was time for Yugi and Ryou’s classes to end and began walking back to the building. He saw Yugi and Ryou standing outside of the building and his boyfriend ran over to him, hugging him tightly. His heart felt a little better now that Ryou was with him, but he was still angry at himself for not being there for Malik.

Normally, Ryou would’ve been too embarrassed to show such affection in public, but he was glad that Tristan was safe. He rested his hands on his shoulders, looking up at him as their foreheads rested against each other’s. “Are you okay?” He was able to sense his anguish earlier, but now he knew Tristan was trying to keep his emotions in check so he wouldn’t be affected by them.

Tristan sighed and nodded, placing his hands on the sides of his waist. “Yeah…but Malik was kidnapped. I wasn’t there…”

“It’s not your fault,” Ryou assured him. In the back of his mind, he sensed that Bakura was nearby and was seething with anger. He knew he shouldn’t care about him or his feelings after the way he treated him, but a part of him couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. “None of us knew this was going to happen. Please don’t blame yourself.”

The older boy sighed again and gave him a small smile. “I’ll try, but you know me. It’s practically my job to make sure all of you are safe.”

Yugi smiled at the two of them then looked at his mate, hugging him as soon as he was in distance to do so. “You’re not hurt, are you?”

Yami shook his head, holding him close. “No, but I promise I will find your grandfather and Malik. But it might mean leaving you and the others behind with Shadi, Mokuba, and Noah.”

“You’re gonna go after him?” Yugi asked in slight shock. “Isn’t that what he wants? For you to be on his territory?”

“Maybe it is, but there’s no telling what he’s going to do your grandfather and Malik,” he replied.

Suddenly Tristan was pushed away from Ryou and pinned to the building by a snarling Bakura who was glaring at him with gold eyes. “Stay away from him, you pathetic human,” he growled.

Tristan refused to be scared of him and punched him in the cheek, making the dragon release him. He knew he probably stood no chance against him, but he wasn’t going to let this man hurt Ryou. “Why? Because you think you have some dragon claim on him? If I’m not mistaken, you said that you don’t want Ryou. So why are you mad about us being together?”

Bakura growled and launched at him only to be stopped by Yami and Marik. The former executioner pushed his comrade back and stood between him and Tristan. “Get your head out of your ass, thief king. You said that you don’t want him.”

“You’re siding with that mongrel?” Bakura asked accusingly.

“No, but you need to stop worrying about the boy you denied as your mate and focus on our enemies. They got through because you were too busy mentally torturing the boy,” he shot back.

No one even saw Tristan move and he was suddenly on top of Bakura as he punched him continuously. Yami pulled him off, surprised at how much damage he managed to do considering he was a human.  Normally dragons would barely bruise if a human assaulted them “Don’t ever talk to Ryou in person or mentally! What kind of sick bastard treats a person like this?”

The former thief and executioner snorted at his question. “Like we care about your feelings. We need to focus on going after Arkana. That’s the second person he’s kidnapped,” Marik pointed out. “And who knows what he’s going to do with the boy and your mate’s grandfather. Especially if Seeker is working with him.”

“Seeker? Hn, shouldn’t be too surprised that he’s still alive,” Bakura muttered.

Yugi was listening Yami talk to the others about how they were going to get Malik and his grandfather, feeling like something was off…He looked around to see if anyone was around and looked up at a building nearby, seeing two figures standing at the very top. He tried to see what they looked like, seeing that was obviously a woman from the way the cloak was hugging her curves and the other one was a male, but the hoods of their cloaks were covering their faces. Both of them walked away after a few minutes of watching him and the others, making him wonder who they were.

“Yugi, are you okay?” Yami asked. He noticed that his mate was looking at the top of a nearby building, frowning when he saw nothing there. “What were you looking at?”

The smaller boy shook  his head, frowning. “I…I swore I saw two people over there standing on top of the building looking at us. But I couldn’t see their faces because they were covered by the hoods of their cloaks,” he informed him. “I wonder if they know about us.”

Yami grimaced and looked around to see if there was anyone that looked suspicious. All he could see were students walking around the campus. “We should talk somewhere private, away from possible prying eyes.”

“Guys!” a female voice shouted. All of the men turned around, seeing Téa walking to them. She smiled and hugged Yugi then Ryou and Tristan. “Where have you guys been? I’ve been worried. All of you just disappeared and I couldn’t in contact with anyone. And are you okay, Yugi? I heard about what happened at your grandfather’s shop.”

He gave her a sad smile. “I’m fine, thanks to Yami, but my grandfather was kidnapped.”

She looked at Yami, giving him a nod. “Nice to meet you, I’m Téa Gardner,” she introduced herself, holding out her hand.

Yami shook her hand, immediately reading her mind to make sure she wasn’t a threat to Yugi and saw that she was just a normal human girl who was genuinely concerned for her friends. “It’s nice to meet you too,” he replied.

She looked at her friends. “So are all of you okay? And where’s Joey? Normally he’s with you.”

“Joey was…attacked,” Yugi answered nervously, thinking that was the best way to explain Joey’s absence.

“Attacked? But he’s usually hanging around with you guys either way,” Téa said.

Yugi didn’t know what to say to that, knowing that it was true. Heck, he remembered seeing Joey come to school with a broken arm and ribs. Nothing ever really stopped his friend from coming to school except Serenity being sick. Luckily for him, Tristan came to his rescue. “It was really bad this time. The group that ganged up on him stabbed him multiple times. It wasn’t pretty.”

She gasped and looked horrified at what he just told her. “Is he alright? What hospital is he at? He’s still alive right?”

All three of them nodded. “Yeah, he’s fine, still recovering from his injuries, but he’ll live. He almost didn’t make it.”

She sighed in relief, holding a hand on her heart. “Thank goodness. You guys need to be careful when you’re walking around. Where are you staying, Yugi? Are you staying with Ryou or Tristan? Where’s Serenity staying at?”

“I’m staying with Yami,” Yugi replied, taking his mate’s hand.

Téa blinked a few times and looked a little shocked. “Oh…OH!” she said, finally understanding. “I didn’t know he was your boyfriend! I didn’t even know you had one.”

He chuckled shyly and scratched the back of his head. “Yeah…it was kinda fast, but I’m staying with him for right now. If he hadn’t been there, the man who kidnapped my grandfather would’ve gotten me too. And a friend of his is a doctor that’s keeping an eye on Joey as his home along with Serenity.”

“I see…,” she said quietly then looked at her watch. “And I’m sorry, but I have dancing practice. Will you guys be here tomorrow? Or should I expect you to disappear again?” It was obvious that she wanted answers about what was going on between him and Yami.

“They’ll be in school tomorrow,” Yami assured her, giving her a slight ‘push’ in her mind to make her go. He could sense that Yugi was a little uncomfortable with the impending questions that he knew his friend had.

She nodded and started walking off, waving to her friends. “Alright, see you guys.”

They watched her run off and waited until they could no longer see her, sighing in relief. “Phew, I thought she was gonna interrogate us or something,” Tristan said with a chuckle.

“She’s like you, a mother hen,” Ryou joked, laughing when Tristan tickled him a little then stopped when he heard Bakura growling and being held back by Marik.

“Let’s get all of you home so we can decide how we’re going to locate Arkana and Seeker,” Yami told them. “Where’s Amane and Serenity?”

“They should be out by now,” Ryou replied, calling his sister.

“I’m out,” Amane said when she answered her phone. “I’m with Serenity. Are you and the others still by your building?”

“Yes, we’re here,” he replied.

“We’ll be there in a minute,” she said then hung up. True to her word, she and Serenity showed up a minute later. “I thought you said that we’ll be guarded at all times.” She gave Yami a challenging stare.

He looked away, ashamed that he did forget about her and Serenity during the madness with Arkana and Seeker. He’d been more worried about Yugi then Malik that he completely forgot that she and Serenity were at another building with no one to guard since the others had been surrounding their enemies. “I’m sorry.”

“You should be,” she said gently, but there was a hidden anger in her voice. “I know we’re not exactly key figures in this game and that there’s nothing special about us, but I thought you were a man of your word. Should I keep guard no matter what since you and your men don’t seem to be doing a great job at guarding us?”

“Amane, be nice,” Ryou scolded her. “They’re doing their best.”

“And Malik still got kidnapped,” she talked back then looked at the former pharaoh and his comrades, eyeing Bakura. “And it’s all because _he_ wasn’t doing his job. Had he been focusing on keeping us safe and not torturing you, Malik would be here and safe.”

All of the dragons looked at her in surprise, wondering how she knew that Bakura had been talking to Ryou mentally. “How do you know this? I thought you didn’t have psychic powers,” Shadi asked her.

“I’m always connected to my brother,” she replied, looking at Bakura. “And know this, just because you’re a dragon doesn’t mean I will let you torture my brother. Like all of us have told you, you denied any claim to him and therefore he is not yours.”

He growled and stepped forward, looking down at her. “Don’t threaten me you foolish girl. I don’t have to listen to you.”

Amane just stared at him for a few seconds then narrowed her eyes a little. Bakura suddenly started shouting in pain and grabbing his head. Yami looked to Shadi to see if he knew what was going on, but even the former keeper of the Millennium Items seemed confused. The former thief king continued shouting pain and called out to his family that was long deceased. “Amane, stop!” Ryou ordered his sister. “Please stop!”

She blinked and looked at her brother then looked back at Bakura, who was now on the ground and breathing hard. “Just know that I can always make it worse,” she said then walked off.

Marik helped his partner up, seeing that he was visibly shaken. “What did that brat do to you?”

Bakura looked at the white-haired girl as she walked away along with the other girl and his mate and his boyfriend. Yami and his mate followed after them. He looked down at his hands. “She made me live through Kul Elna…”

Shadi and Marik didn’t say anything and looked at each other then at him. “These are not ordinary humans that we’re dealing with. It’s best to remember that,” Shadi told him.

“The gods are mocking us,” Bakura sneered.

Shadi shook his head, walking away. “No, I think the gods have blessed with very strong potential mates.”

Both of them looked at him as though they were in shock though they really couldn’t feel it. But Bakura knew that the gods had to be mocking him with his mate. Especially now that Ryou was dating that weak human boy.

 And Marik knew that his soul was too far gone in the darkness to ever have hope of having a mate. Unlike his partner, Marik knew if he did have a mate out there…he would have to dominate them and make them submit to him.

* * *

 

Sorry for taking a long time to update! I’ve been hooked on Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII and beat it three times. Have you played it yet? What are your thoughts on it?

 Anyways! Poor Malik has been kidnapped…yeah. And it seems Amane is not going to put up with the Bakura’s crap. She might be younger than her brother and just as gentle, but she’s fiercer and not afraid to prove her point.

And there are new notes on my profile on fanfiction.net to keep you up to date on couples and their statuses and also what some things like Bond, Marked, etc. I had a reader PM me asking what’s what in the story. Just so you know(in case you don’t go to my profile), Yami and Yugi are partially Bonded due to consummating their relationship whereas Seto and Joey are partially Bonded due to Seto leaving his Mark on Joey to connect them together spiritually. And of course, Bakura and Ryou aren’t Bonded at all.

Hope that answers some questions! I swear next update will be faster(hopefully within two weeks). In the meantime, if you’re a fan of Kingdom Hearts, check out my story Mermaid’s Tear(on fanfiction.net). Or if you’re a fan of Supernatural, check out my story, A Heart for the Hunter.


	10. Chapter 10

** Warning(s) **

Puzzleshipping: Rated G

Kidnapping, Bakura madness, semi-transformation, and Arkana madness

* * *

 

Yami held his mate close as he felt Yugi trying to squeeze the life out of him. “Little Light, I’ll be gone for a few days not forever,” he assured him. It had been two days since Malik had gotten kidnapped and he, Shadi, Bakura, and Duke were going after Arkana and Seeker for kidnapping Malik and Yugi’s grandfather and hopefully find Kisara and Odion.

“I know,” Yugi said quietly. He knew he shouldn’t be so clingy, but he was scared of Yami not returning to him. A lot had happened these past few weeks and he felt like he was losing everyone close to him. First, his grandpa got kidnapped then Joey got attacked and nearly died. Now, Malik got kidnapped and Odion and Kisara were missing, most likely going after the men who took their brother. It was too much for him.

The older man cupped his face and kissed his forehead. “I promise, I will get your grandfather back and I will return to you.” He had to give Yugi credit for being to handle this whole situation with great patience.

Yugi just hummed softly, closing his eyes as rested his ear against Yami’s chest, listening to his heartbeat. “You better come back alive and unharmed. I don’t want to see anybody else get hurt.”

Yami chuckled and nuzzled his hair. “I can’t promise to come back unharmed, but I promise I’ll come back alive…with your grandfather and Malik.”

They separated when they heard someone knock on the door. “My pharaoh, it’s time for us to go,” Shadi said from the other side.

Both of them walked out of the room, seeing the others waiting for them. Set and his brothers along with Marik were staying behind to protect Yugi and his friends. Since Bakura couldn’t be trusted with Ryou, he was going with Yami and his group though Yami admitted that he preferred Marik since he was going to need a good…’interrogator’ should they manage to capture Arkana or Seeker. But nonetheless, he was sure Bakura could answers out of them.

“Is everyone ready?” Yami asked. He saw them nod and turned to Yugi. “We’ll be back. Please listen to Set and the others while I’m gone. Don’t do anything that’ll put your life in danger.”

“You too,” Yugi said to him.

Yami and the others transformed into their demi-human forms and flew off. They knew where they were going since Shadi had used a spell to locate Odion and Kisara and they were heading to wherever Arkana and Seeker took Malik. They would just have to use them to find the hideout and hope that Yugi’s grandfather was still alive too.

* * *

 

Yugi sighed as he watched Yami and the others fly off. These past few weeks had been stressful. Though Yami had tried to make his new life easier, but Yugi was worried sick for his friends and his grandpa. A part of him feared that he was dead and that Yami would be coming back with his dead body.

“Yugi?” Ryou called out to him. The white-haired boy put a comforting hand on his shoulder and gave him a small smile. “They’ll come back…with your grandfather and Malik alive. You know Yami is going to do everything he can to bring them back.”

“I know, but I can’t help but worry about them,” Yugi said quietly. “Joey almost died on us, Malik and my grandpa were kidnapped, and now with you, Tristan, and Bakura not getting along…”

Ryou stiffened a little at the mention of Bakura, remembering the glare that the man gave him every time they saw each other. He would always feel waves of anger and betrayal coming from him. But he never talked to him and hadn’t said anything since the day Malik was kidnapped and it helped that Tristan was with him at all times so Bakura never bothered to talk to him. He only hoped that one day Bakura could probably find peace despite their relationship not working out. “Don’t worry about the three of us. I can take care of myself and Tristan is looking after me,” he assured his friend.

“But who’s looking after him?” Yugi asked as he saw Tristan sleeping on the couch in Yami’s living room. He felt bad that he hadn’t noticed how exhausted Tristan must’ve been between looking after everyone and guarding Ryou from Bakura. This is where Joey would come in and help, but now with Joey still recovering from his assault and Seto Marking him, he would be out for a while. Tristan had taken on the responsibility of watching over all of them by himself. Yugi knew his friend didn’t completely trust Yami and his comrades, but for obvious reasons.

The white-haired boy looked over at his sleeping boyfriend and sighed. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t go to him every time Bakura harasses me. He’s already stressed as it is. I wish I could make him feel better, but I don’t know how.”

“I think he just needs you to be there,” Yugi told him. “He needs someone to take care of him emotionally. I don’t know how he manages to take care of all of us and stay sane.”

Ryou wanted to point out that Tristan was hanging on by a thread. Though his boyfriend kept his emotions in check most of the time, he was able to feel them when they were at their strongest. But he knew that if Tristan couldn’t protect him then his younger sister would step up and guard him. Though it should’ve been the other way around, but Amane has always been stronger than him, physically and mentally. He sat down next to him, gently lifting Tristan’s head to rest it on his lap. “He’s barely hanging on, Yugi. Everything is slowly catching up to him,” Ryou said. “I’ve tried what I can, but he’s always so careful with me.”

Yugi felt his heart drop at that. He should’ve known that Tristan wouldn’t tell anyone how he felt about everything going on. “Maybe once this is all over…we can go somewhere.”

“When will it be over?” Ryou asked quietly.

Yugi didn’t say reply to that, not knowing what he could say to assure him. He had a feeling that all of this was just the beginning.

* * *

 

Yami and the others arrived at an abandoned building outside of Domino, but there was no sign of Odion and Kisara. All of them went back to their human forms, looking around the area. “Are you sure they are here?” he asked Shadi.

The keeper nodded and looked at the building. “Yes, I can feel them. I had a feeling that this family do things on their own terms so I made sure to cast a spell that would let me know where Odion is at all times. And through him, I know where the others are at. Though it seems Arkana is also using a spell to keep Malik from being found, but I don’t think he knows how strong the bond is between them.”

“They could be a future threat,” Duke told Yami. “This Ishtar family, they’re not normal. The man didn’t even know he was of dragon blood and who knows what the other three can do. The woman, Ishizu, holds the Millennium Necklace and Malik has the Millennium Rod, and they both know how to use them. I imagine the woman, Kisara, has some trick up her sleeve. We need to gain control of them before they can do anything.”

“I doubt they’ll do anything,” Yami stated. “They’re loyal to Yugi and the others. They won’t do anything to hurt them.”

“They don’t think highly of us,” Duke pointed out as they walked inside the building. “None of your mate’s friends seem to think highly of us. But I supposed it’s not for good reason considering that the sadist here and Seto have not exactly made us look good.”

Bakura growled and turned around to look at him. “What did you call me?”

“A sadist,” Duke said coolly. “You obviously enjoy causing your would-be mate pain just because he’s an empath. Some of us would kill to have a mate at this point, regardless of their abilities.”

“You’re not the one stuck with a weakling,” Bakura snapped and took a step toward him.

“Enough!” Yami raised his voice. “You two will stand down at once. You can fight about this later after we rescue the boy and Yugi’s grandfather.”

Both men glared each other down for a few seconds then backed away. “I don’t know why you brought him along,” Duke muttered as he walked away.

“Silence,” Shadi said. “The Ishtar siblings were here a few minutes ago.”

“How do you know that?” Yami asked him.

“I can smell them,” he replied. “They were here not too long ago and I’m sure that I can sniff the path they took.” He began walking down the path they took and his comrades followed him. None of them knew how Odion and Kisara knew where to go, but they assumed the siblings had a way of finding each other no matter what.

They walked down a long hallway, faintly smelling Odion and Kisara’s scents. But it stopped once they reached the end of the hallway. “Where did they go?” Bakura asked.

It was then they heard someone grunting. It almost sounded like the person was trying to hold back a cry of pain, but they couldn’t be sure. Shadi was the first one to push a nearby door open, seeing Odion and Kisara freeing their brother and Solomon Moto. “How did you two manage to get past Arkana and Seeker?” Yami asked them. He immediately ran to help Yugi’s grandfather stand as soon as Kisara got him free.

“We don’t know where they’re at, but we had to help them. Solomon is dying,” Kisara told him.

Yami looked over Yugi’s grandfather, seeing that she was right. He was bleeding slowly, but he could tell that the man had been bleeding for a long time. Knowing Arkana, he probably kept making shallow wounds to make him suffer. “Let’s get them out of here.” He saw Odion pick up his brother, holding him close.

“Now, pharaoh, surely you and the others aren’t going to leave so soon? The party hasn’t even started yet!” Arkana said from the doorway as the lights turned on.

Before any of them could react, the magician held out a jar and all of the dragons, minus Yami, turned into smoke and were sucked into the jar. Malik fell to the floor, groaning in pain as Kisara grabbed the collar of his shirt and dragged him to her. “What did you do to them?” Yami growled, letting go of Yugi’s grandfather.

“It’s a Dragon Capture Jar,” Arkana replied. “Surely you know what this is for. I can choose whatever dragons are near me and capture them. All of your little friends are inside this jar right now.”

Yami growled and took a step toward him. “Give them back, Arkana. Do you really think Zorc is going to bring Catherine back to you? She’s long dead, passed on into the next world after living a long happy life.”

Arkana glared at him. “Happy? How could she have been happy without me? We were each other’s true loves! She always swore that she would love me forever! Me and no one else!”

“That was before you went mad and drove her away. She saw that you were more in love with power than her,” Yami pointed out. “You’re the one who drove her away and into another man’s arms. Had you not gone mad, you could’ve lived a happy life together.”

The magician glared at him and summoned the same dragons that he used against them last time. “Die,” he hissed and pointed at him. The dragons flew at him.

Yami dodged them, transforming into his demi-human form and pushed one of the dragons back, making it crash into the other dragons coming at him. He knew if he fully transformed then the whole building could possibly collapse due to his size so he had no choice but to fight in his demi-human form. “I won’t let you win, Arkana. You’ll never beat me.”

Arkana just gave him a smirk as he summoned more dragons, making the walls break and began backing away. “I don’t want to defeat you, Yami. I just need to keep you occupied long enough to snatch something very important to you.”

“Yugi…,” Malik whispered.

Yami looked down at the young Egyptian boy then looked at Arkana. “No…”

Before he could say anything, Arkana disappeared and the dragons attacked.

* * *

 

** Author’s Notes/Rambles **

FINALLY! Another chapter! Yes, I’m still alive and balancing two jobs. So yeah, sorry this is a short chapter, but next chapter will be longer, I promise!

And I will fix any and all mistakes later. :)


	11. Chapter 11

** Warning(s) **

Puzzleshipping: Mentinoned Protectshipping: Rated K

Semi-violence, car scene, mentions of blood, semi-transformation

* * *

 

Yugi was sitting in the library by himself reading a book about Yami and the others, or at least what history thought what happened. He hoped it could help them in some way should more battles come. It had been a week since he last Yami and the others. He was worried that something had happened to them and tried reaching out telepathically to his mate, but he heard nothing.

He jumped when he felt his phone vibrate suddenly, smiling a little at the name flashing across the screen. He looked at the text message that his friend sent.

_Get on your laptop so we can web chat!_

Yugi quickly gathered his things and walked out of the library, settling on a nearby table. After turning his laptop on, he saw that his friend was online already and clicked on his name, seeing his friend’s face appear.

“Yugi, long time no see!” Jaden greeted.

“It’s good to see you too, Jaden,” Yugi said. He’d befriended Jaden at a Duel Monsters tournament a few years ago after they faced each other in the final round, which Yugi won. Since then, they had kept in touch with each other and became good friend despite the long distance and hardly seeing each other in person since Yugi in Domino City and Jaden lived on Duel Island. “How have you been?”

“Good, we’re all in school and doing our own things. I’m rooming with Syrus, Chumley, and Hassleberry again for this year. Chazz and Atticus are room together, and Alexis and Blair are rooming with their own friends. Aster is staying at home since his father didn’t want him living in the dorms with us,” Jaden told him. “Other than that, nothing special is going on over here, but I am working hard on strategies to beat you in the next tournament! So get ready for that, pal!”

Yugi laughed. “I’ll be ready.” He looked up when he saw Tristan and Ryou walking to him, holding hands and laughing together. “Hey guys, I’m talking to Jaden right now.”

“Cool!” Tristan said and looked down at the screen, grinning at Jaden. “Hey Jaden! Good to see you!”

“Good to see you guys too!” Jaden replied. “Still guarding your friends like a mother hen?”

“Hey! Someone has to keep an eye on them, especially the little like Yugi,” Tristan told him, ruffling Yugi’s hair. He chuckled when the younger boy scowled and glared at him. “See? Even when he glares, it’s cute. Not intimidating at all!”

“Tristan!” Ryou scolded. “Be nice.”

Jaden was cracking up. “Oh man! It looks like Ryou isn’t going to put up with you picking on little Yugi.”

“You do know you’re only an inch taller than me, right?” Yugi pointed out.

“So? Still an inch taller than you,” Jaden said with a laugh, winking at him. “So where are Joey and the others? Are they coming to ya right now?”

Yugi gave him a small smile. “He’s…He was in an accident. He’s been in a coma.”

Jaden looked shocked at him. “Is he gonna be okay? He is gonna wake up right? He said he’s been looking for a way to defeat me so that way I’m in third place and he can go up against you in the next tournament.”

“He’ll wake up eventually. He just got beaten a lot worse than usual,” Tristan assured him, putting a hand on Yugi’s shoulder. “We’ll keep you updated and let you know when he wakes up.”

“Alright,” Jaden said quietly. He looked up at something out of the screen’s range and waved. “Hey, gotta go. It’s Golden Egg Sandwich day and I’m gonna see if I’m the lucky winner! Wish me luck!”

All three of them laughed. “Good luck,” Yugi told him then logged off when Jaden gave them a last waved and logged off. He closed his laptop and looked at his two friends. “Are Serenity and Amane okay?”

Ryou nodded as he sat down across from him with Tristan. “Yes, I called my sister when I got out of class. They said Joey hasn’t woken up and they haven’t heard anything. Do you think something happened?”

“I don’t know,” Yugi answered. “I tried to reach out to Yami, but he didn’t respond. He always does.”

“Should we ask one of the Kaiba brothers? Except Seto, I doubt he’ll tell us anything,” Tristan suggested, making a disgusted at the mention of Seto. “There has to be something we can do if they need help. We can’t just standby.”

“I hate to point this out, but you do remember the last we tried to do something on our own, right?” Amane asked as she and Serenity approached them. “Joey nearly got killed and is now in a coma.”

Tristan stiffened at that. “Yeah, but we can’t just sit around if they are in danger. Even Joey would agree with me on that.”

“Yeah, but what can we do? It’s not like all of us have superpowers,” Amane pointed out. “Only me, Yugi, and Ryou have some powers, but we don’t stand a chance against Arkana and his powers.”

“So what are we going to do?” Yugi asked them.

“Well…let’s have Ryou track them down with his Millennium Ring then. The Kaiba brothers won’t know anything if we keep quiet. We can’t just sit around and do nothing,” Tristan told them.

“I-I don’t want to go,” Serenity suddenly spoke. She stiffened a little when everyone looked at her in chock, but she stood her ground. As much as she wanted to accompany them, she couldn’t. “I don’t want to leave Joey by himself. Seto’s hurt him once and I don’t want to risk him getting hurt again.”

Tristan released Ryou’s hand and walked to her, hugging her close. It was a brotherly hug meant to comfort her so Ryou wasn’t jealous of it. “Hey, we understand,” he assured her. “But you do know it’ll only be you by yourself, right?”

“I know,” Serenity replied as she pulled away. “But at least with me here, they won’t probably suspect anything.”

“If anyone asks where we’re at, then tell them we’re with Téa and the others,” he told her.

She nodded. “Okay, I’ll do my best to keep them from knowing.”

“Ready, Ryou? You can do this right?” Yugi asked him.

As much as Ryou didn’t want to admit it…he still felt the connection to Bakura. It was faint, almost nonexistent, but it was still there. With his Millennium Ring, he knew he would be able to find his location if he focused hard enough. He brought his hands up to the sides of the ring and closed his eyes, focusing on that faint connection.

* * *

 

Unbeknownst to Yugi and his friends, two figures were standing on a nearby building again, listening and watching them.

“You see what they’re doing, right?” the female asked the male standing next to her. Despite the hood of her cloak hiding most of her face, the way her jaw clenched was enough to let her mate know that she was not happy.

The male grabbed her hand, holding it tight. “We have no choice but to let them go. Following them is too risky for us. Mother said we must stay hidden until the time is right.”

She didn’t say anything and pulled her hand away as she walked off. “She’s always telling us to remain hidden and look what happened. Joey nearly died. If she had allowed us to follow them that day then he would be here right now.”

“He’s still alive,” he pointed out, following after her. “He’s going to be okay and recover quickly since Kaiba Marked him.”

“But it’s not a complete Bond,” she snapped. “Joey is going to feel like a huge part of himself is missing because of him.”

“Regardless, we’re not following Yugi and the others,” her mate stated. He knew that she was going to try and disobey, and he was prepared for it. Their Mother had made special cuffs that would render a dragon helpless, making them weak like a human. His mate would be extremely angry at him for doing this, but she would eventually forgive…give or take a few centuries. He grabbed her wrist only for her to immediately sweep her leg around and knock his feet out from under him. As soon as his body hit the ground, she flipped over him and took the cuffs away. He tried to sweep his leg out to knock her down, but she jumped out of the way and backed away from him.

She held the cuffs up as he stood. “So this is how you were going to restrain me?”

He smirked as he dusted himself off. “Thought I try something new.”

She smiled sweetly at him as she twirled the cuffs around her finger. “I doubt you can restrain me. I am going to follow them and make sure they’re safe, even if it means revealing us. And there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

“I can’t let you go,” he stated, charging at her.

* * *

 

“How exactly are we going to get there if it’s off road?” Amane asked. “If my memory is correct, they flew. And none of us have that ability.”

“She has a point,” Tristan muttered as he drove down an empty trail. “It could take us days to get there even with a car. Hopefully it’s not high in the sky or something weird like that.” He looked over at Ryou, who still had his eyes closed as he concentrated on finding their friends. But he was driving a little slower than usual since he didn’t know when Ryou and the ring would tell him what direction to go. He glanced at Yugi and Amane through the rearview mirror. “Can you still not get in touch with him, Yugi?”

“No,” he replied, shaking his head. “I’ve tried, but he’s still not answering me.”

_Yami, can you hear me?_

“Maybe we should try contacting Malik or Kisara?” Amane suggested. “Kisara does have enough power to talk telepathically right?”

Yugi nodded. “Yes. I’ll try getting to them.”

_Malik? Kisara? Can you hear me?_

_Yugi?_ Malik said weakly.

_Malik? Are you okay?_ Yugi asked in concern.

_I’m fine. Your grandpa is still alive._ Malik informed. _Kisara is with us, tending to his would as best as she can. I don’t know where Yami is. Odion and the others were captured._

_What? How were they captured?_ Yugi knew that Yami had taken his best warriors and Odion was no slouch despite being a young dragon.

_Arkana used something called a Dragon Capture Jar. He used it on all of the dragons except Yami._ Kisara told him though it was obvious that she wasn’t as experienced as Ishizu and Malik since her connection felt weak.

_Where’s Yami?_ Yugi asked them. _Why isn’t he responding to me?_

It was Malik who answered. _I don’t know. I think-_

“OH SHIT!” Tristan suddenly yelled, bringing Yugi out of his trance.

The car was suddenly off the road and went downhill, flipping over a few times. Once it stopped, it landed upside down.

Yugi groaned in pain, wincing when he felt some shards of glass on his cheek. He looked over at Amane, who was either unconscious or… “Amane?” She was still being held by her seatbelt, but her arms were dangling by her head. He could also see blood leaking from the side of her head. But he was relieved when he saw her fingers moving and she gasped as she woke up. He looked over to Tristan and Ryou seeing that Tristan unbuckled his seatbelt. “Is everyone okay?”

Tristan didn’t answer and bit back a groan of pain when he finally got released from the seatbelt and hit the roof of the car, landing on his back. He turned over to look at his friends, ignoring the shards of glass that were cutting into his skin. “Are you guys okay?”

“I-I’m fine,” Amane replied, releasing herself from the seatbelt.

He saw Yugi nod as he also released himself then looked at Ryou. The white-haired boy hadn’t responded to him and looked paler than usual. “Ryou? Talk to me, are you okay?” he asked, crawling over to him. His eyes went wide when he saw his right arm. The door must’ve caved in when they had been flipping over and broke it. “Hang on. I’ll get you out.”

Ryou cried when he landed on his right shoulder, trying to fight back the tears that threatened to appear. He felt Tristan’s arm wrap around his waist as he was dragged out of the car, lying on the ground once they were out. His sister limped over to him and he could see that her usual limping was worsened now. It would only be a matter of time before her leg gave out completely. Yugi looked okay despite some bruising and cuts along with Tristan.

“Can you stand up?” Tristan asked. He helped Ryou stand up once he nodded.

“What happened?” Yugi asked him.

“T-There was a dragon on the road,” Ryou answered shakily. “I saw Arkana standing behind it.”

“So he must not be too far from us,” Amane said.

“Or I’m right here!” Arkana said, appearing in front of them along with two dragons. “I’m surprised all of you survived that. I was hoping one of you would’ve died so I can torture the pharaoh with.”

“What did you do with Yami?” Yugi demanded.

“Oh don’t worry about him,” Arkana said with a dark laugh. “It’s your friends that you left behind who you should worry about.”

* * *

 

Serenity was at the bar that Joey worked, explaining to his manager why he wasn’t there. “Please, sir. Please don’t fire him. I know once he’s awake, he’ll start working immediately even though he’s supposed to rest.”

The older man sighed, rubbing the back of his head. “Fine, I’ll let him keep his job here. Just make sure he recovers and feels better before he comes back. Can’t afford to have him pass out.”

She bowed to him. “Thank you so much.” She was escorted out by one of the bouncers who knew who she was since she’d been there a few times. There were already a lot of people in the bar, mostly men, and she wanted to leave before more came at their busiest hour. Once she was outside, she told the bouncer goodnight as she walked home. It had been a week since Yami and the others left, and two weeks since Joey was attacked. She hadn’t been home in what felt like forever, but then, she knew there wasn’t anything there for her. Her father surely didn’t care about her or Joey, only that he had enough money to buy his alcohol.

Once she reached the apartment, she slowly opened the door, fearing that her father was awake. She quietly closed the door and walked to her room, seeing that her father was passed out on the recliner again with the TV on. She locked the door to her room once she was inside and began packing clothes and other items she would need. After she was done getting her stuff, she went to Joey’s room and packed some of his things then quickly walked to the door, being as quiet as possible. Once she managed to open the front door, a bottle came flying at her head. Luckily for her, years of experience from dodging them were like second nature and she ducked out of the way. The bottle shattered and she was thankful that none of the glass cut her.

“Damn girl, where the hell have you been?” her father slurred loudly as he walked towards her.

Serenity didn’t wait for another second and ran out of the house. She knew her father couldn’t come after her since he was too drunk. But now, she could barely see. Even though only a few people knew, she was losing her eyesight. And right now at night, was one of the worst times for her to be out. She could barely see anything right now and she couldn’t exactly call Tristan to help her. Pulling out her long cane, which Joey had gotten from a pawn shop, she unfolded it and began walking as fast and as safely as she could without running into anything.

“What do you think you’re doing out this late?” a voice asked her.

She gasped and backed against a nearby wall. She couldn’t see who spoke to her, but she knew it was a man. “Please, sir. I have nothing worth stealing…”

Seto sighed, shaking his head at the girl. “Foolish girl, why would I want to steal something from the mutt’s family?”

“Seto Kaiba?” Serenity asked. “Why are you here?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Seto countered. “Shouldn’t you be at Shadi’s house right now instead of in this poor neighborhood?”

“I happen to live in this poor neighborhood,” Serenity said. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to keep going.”

Seto sighed again as he saw her start walking again. He grabbed her arm to stop her. “Forget it. I’ll take you to his house.” He wrapped his arms around her and flew off before she could say anything. It would only take him a few minutes for him to get to Shadi’s house while it could’ve taken her hours considering her poor vision at night. “Why haven’t you gone to the doctor to get your eyesight checked?”

“I don’t have time,” Serenity replied, not wanting to mention that she and Joey couldn’t afford for the surgery required to fix her eyesight. Before she knew it, they were at the house and Seto opened the window to the room she was sleeping in, letting her down. “Thank you for bringing me, Seto.”

He didn’t say anything and flew off. A part of him wanted to see how Joey was recovering, but a larger part of him didn’t want to. He’d heard from Mokuba and Noah that Joey was recovering, but his injuries were still severe. It wasn’t his problem though. He’d done his part in keeping the mutt alive.

Serenity changed into her pajamas, wearing one of Joey’s old t-shirts and a pair of pink pajama pants then walked to his room. Her eyesight was slowly coming back to her since Shadi had most of the lights on in the mansion and Joey’s room was next to her room. She entered her brother’s room walking over to the chair next to his bed. Just as she was about to sit down, she noticed a shadow at the far corner of the room and gasped when she saw a strange man wearing a hooded cloak. It wasn’t hiding his face and he gave her a rather cold and creepy smile. “W-Who are you?” she asked.

“You’re not supposed to be here,” the man said, pulling out a sharp dagger. “No one was supposed to be here. But I guess it doesn’t matter. You’ll be dead soon too.” He looked over at Joey then back at her. “Don’t worry. I’m giving you two a rather painless death. He’s dead anyway, with Seto Kaiba leaving an incomplete Mark on him means he doesn’t want your brother.” He walked over to them, lifting the dagger as he got closer.

Serenity didn’t even think, she just reacted and jumped in front of him before he could get to the bed.

* * *

 

Yugi groaned as he was thrown in a cell with his friends. “Tristan…?”

“You okay?” Tristan asked, holding Ryou close to him.

“Where are we?” he asked to no one in particular. He had a feeling this is where Yami and the others were. “I wonder if Yami is here.”

Before any of them could say anything, the lights in the room they were in suddenly turned on and Yugi nearly cried out at the sight he saw.

Pinned against the wall by swords made of light energy was Yami. He was in his demi-human form and the swords had been stabbed through on both of his shoulders and his wings while his hands had been pinned by smaller ones on the sides of his head.

“Yami!” Yugi cried, rushing over to his mate, forgetting about his pain from the car wreck. “Yami! Yami! Can you hear me?”

“Y-Yugi…?” Yami whispered, opening his eyes.

“See Yami? I’m not such a bad guy after all,” Arkana said from a small opening in the door. “I brought your mate to you and now you can spend your final moments together and you can think about how you’re going to fail to protect him.”

Yami growled at him and tried to move only to hiss as the swords held him down and caused him to bleed more. “You won’t get away with this.”

“Oh, don’t make promises you won’t be able to keep, pharaoh,” Arkana said mockingly. “Just think about how you failed to protect your mate’s little friends. I’m sure Seeker has gotten rid of that boy that Kaiba Marked along with his pathetic sister if she was nearby.”

Everyone gasped at that. Yugi’s eyes went wide with shock. “N-No…Joey. Serenity.”

Arkana gave them one last sickening smile. “And they’re only the beginning…” He closed the small opening in the door.

Yami continued to growl even after he left. “I will kill you, Arkana. You won’t live when I get my hands on you,” he said as his eyes glowed gold.

* * *

 

** Author’s Notes/Rambles **

OMG, did I manage to get another chapter a week after updating? Yeah it was a slow week at work so I had plenty of time to write. So yay for an update!

So…thoughts on Serenity vs. Seeker? Who will win? And thoughts on how Yami is going to get Arkana? Also, who are the hooded figures watching Yugi and the others from afar? And hey, Jaden popped up!

Sorry if this chapter isn’t long, but yeah. It was already intense enough with this chapter(in my mind!xD). Anyways, any and all grammar/spelling mistakes will be fixed later. Hope you enjoyed the cha


	12. Chapter 12

** Warning(s) **

Fighting, transformation, semi-transformation, violence, blood.

Puzzleshipping: Rated K

* * *

 

Serenity tried to push the man away from the bed, but the man slapped her away. She ignored the pain in her cheek and ran at him again, managing to push him away from the bed. The man grunted and turned her around as he brought the knife to her throat. Serenity managed to get her hands up in time to prevent the blade from slitting her throat and tried to push it away despite it cutting into her hands. She bit down on the man’s hand then felt him pull her away by her hair. The man punched her in the face, making her fall to the floor. Serenity saw stars after that, she tried to get up to go after when she heard his footsteps getting closer to Joey, but she couldn’t focus.

Seeker looked at the comatose boy and leaned forward with the dagger. Before he could finish the job, a figure broke through the glass window in the room. It was a female by the looks of the way the cloak clung to her curves though the hood only revealed the bottom half of her face and she was holding a staff in her hands. “Oh? What do we have here? Another guardian?”

The woman didn’t say anything and attacked him, managing to block his attempts to stab her with her staff. She twirled around him when he launched at her and hit him on the back with her staff to knock him away from her and Joey. Serenity dragged herself over to the other side of the bed, unable to use her hands. She saw the hooded figure stab the staff into the ground as she used to help her kick the man out the window.

After the woman kicked him out, she went after him and the door burst open. Set and Marik came in. “What happened?” Set asked her.

“Some man was in here,” she told him. “He tried to kill my brother, but I got in his way. Then he tried to kill me. A woman broke through the window and stopped him. She kicked him out the window and went after him.”

“Marik, go after them,” Set ordered, helping her stand. He looked at her hands, seeing the long deep cuts on them. “I’m afraid none of us know how to heal like Shadi and if he does return, it’ll be too late. From the looks of it, he used a dagger with magical properties that our magic can’t heal.”

“How can you tell?” she asked.

Set pointed at the markings that were now burned into the skin of her hands. “This is a spell that is used to kill dragons. When put on a weapon, we wouldn’t be able to heal ourselves like normal. This was considered forbidden magic since it could us.”

Serenity didn’t say anything as she followed him to the bathroom so he could wrap her hands and heal them as best as he could. She didn’t really mind having the scars or the markings, all that mattered was that she saved her brother and making sure she kept him safe.

* * *

 

Yami roared loudly as he tried to get free from the swords pinning him to the wall. All he could think about was getting Arkana for all the pain he’d caused.

“Yami, please stop!” Yugi begged him, but to no avail. He tried reaching out mentally to him, but all he could in Yami’s mind was chaos and the need to kill Arkana before he could hurt anyone. His mate continued to struggle against the swords, making his wounds bleed more. “Please stop! You’re hurting yourself!”

“It’s no use, Yugi,” Kisara said softly as she sat against the wall with Tristan and Ryou not too far from her. She and Solomon had been thrown in the same cell as them not too long after Yugi and the others got there. She had managed to heal Solomon’s wounds enough to where they stopped bleeding so long as he didn’t make any sudden movements, so he was okay for now. But for some reason, Arkana kept Malik separated from them and was worried for he had planned for her brother.

Yugi didn’t want to admit that she was right. He could see that Yami wasn’t exactly himself right now. This was the dragon wanting to get free and protect his mate. Yami’s usual dark ruby red eyes were now completely gold. He backed away from him and went over to his grandfather to sit by him. “Are you okay?”

His grandfather gave him a reassuring smile. “I’ll be fine, Yugi. Though it seems I’ve been gone long enough for some changes in your life, huh?” His gaze went over to Yami.

The young boy blushed, knowing what his grandpa was referring to. “Those stories you used to read to me about Pharaoh Yami and his comrades, they’re real.”

“I see…,” Solomon mused. “So, everything is true. And I assume the young man is…?”

Yugi nodded. “Yes, he’s the pharaoh, or former pharaoh. He saved me after Arkana tried to kidnap me. I’ve been staying with him while he and his comrades were trying to find you.”

“But you two appear to be something more than friends…the legend of them finding their mate is true as well?” Solomon asked him. He saw Yugi nod and sighed. “I feared this would happen.”

“You knew this would happen?” Yugi asked him. He knew his grandpa had some powers, but he didn’t know much about them.

Solomon nodded. “Yes. It was when I was in Egypt, when I found the Millennium Puzzle. I don’t know what or how it happened, but I saw a vision when I grabbed the box that the pieces were in. It showed me the pharaoh’s life and what would happen.”

“It showed you the enemy that Arkana works for, didn’t it?” Yugi asked.

“Zorc Nercophades,” Solomon said quietly. “He must never be revived. He will kill the pharaoh and end the world. Only Yami and his comrades can stop him when they find the light half of their souls.”

“But what if they deny their Soul Mate?” Yugi resisted the urge to try and calm Yami, who was still thrashing against the wall but his roars had finally quieted down.

His grandfather’s mouth tightened and he looked solemn. “Then I fear for the safety of the world. Yami is only so powerful even with you by his side. He will need the help of all of his comrades if he wants to end Zorc once and for all. Why do you ask? Did he deny you?” He wasn’t a fool. He knew why Yami reacted the way he did when he saw Yugi and why his grandson was so concerned about the trapped pharaoh. It was obvious that they were Soul Mates.

Yugi shook his head. “No, we’re partially Bonded. He’s giving me the choice if I want him to Mark me or not. He promised not to pressure into anything. But we found out that Joey is Seto Kaiba’s Mate and Ryou is the great Thief King Bakura’s Mate, but they both denied them. Bakura even threatened Ryou and Seto has partially Bonded Joey to him.”

Solomon looked over to Ryou, who was sitting next to Tristan and resting his head on the older man’s shoulder. He always figured the two of them would get together one day. Whenever they thought no one was looking, he would see Tristan look at Ryou like he was a precious gem sent from the heavens or that Ryou would always look at Tristan with such loving affection. But now, he knew it would only be a matter of time before the man that was Ryou’s mate would claim him, or choose the darkness. “Then we better pray they see the precious gifts that Ra has blessed them with.”

Yugi didn’t say anything, looking over at Yami. He saw that his mate was finally calm and that his eyes had returned back to their normal ruby red. He quickly ran over to him. “Yami? Are you okay?”

Yami let out a strained chuckle. “I’ll live, Little Light.”

Yugi sighed in relief, stepping on his toes to give him a quick peck on the lips. “Please don’t do that again. I couldn’t even get through to you. I was scared.”

“You never have to be scared of me, Yugi,” Yami assured him. “I will never hurt you, Yugi, even when I’m at my worst. I just don’t like being so helpless right now with you and the others here. Bakura, Shadi, and Duke have been captured. I couldn’t do anything. Arkana is doing this to weaken me.”

“Can’t we get these swords out?” Yugi asked.

The former pharaoh shook his head. “No, don’t. These swords can burn you. They’re made to keep dragons pinned down so we can’t attack. I’ve only used this spell a few times, but Shadi and Mahad know how to use it.”

“Is there a way to dispel it? We can’t leave you like this. You’re slowly bleeding to death,” Yugi stated. “There has to be something we can do to get you free.”

Neither of them noticed that Kisara had stood up and walked over to them, looking at the swords. “Swords of Revealing Light,” she said quietly, touching one of the swords that pinned Yami’s wing. The light of the swords didn’t seem to burn her or anything. “I’ve heard of this spell before. It can last up to three days.”

Yami watch as she continued to touch the sword, wondering how it wasn’t burning her. Every time he’d see a human touch one of the swords, their hands would immediately be burned. “How are you able to touch them?”

Kisara shrugged, truly not knowing why she could. “I don’t know, pharaoh,” she replied. “I can do a lot of things that humans can’t and I don’t know why. But I don’t know if I can dispel it. I wouldn’t even know where to begin…”

“I think I can help with that,” Solomon offered as he shakily stood up. Yugi rushed over to him and helped him stand. “I memorized a lot of spells while I was exploring the pyramids before Yugi was born. I know the one to dispel the swords, but it can’t be me. I don’t have enough energy.”

“What about me and Kisara?” Yugi asked. “I still have some energy left.”

“But I won’t be to do much. The wounds caused by these swords won’t heal as fast as a normal wound would,” Yami told them. “It’ll take days for them to heal. We need someone who can fight back.”

“Looks like that counts all of us out,” Amane said. “All of us are beaten and battered. We need to find a way to contact your comrades that are with Joey and Serenity. They’re the only ones left unless Mahad can make it here in less than twenty-four hours.”

“Oh I doubt he can, not after the Diabound is done with him,” Arkana said as he entered the cell with a hooded figure that was holding Malik captive. “I’m sure he and the woman have been torn to pieces by now.”

Kisara and Tristan pushed the others behind them, standing at the front. “Malik,” she called out to her brother. She could see that he was scared, but it looked different. Like when their father…

“Kisara,” the hooded man called out to her. “How…unfortunate for me to see that you’re still alive.” He pushed the hood back and revealed himself, making her heart stop. There, their father was standing there with Malik.

She looked at him with wide eyes. “F-Father? How are you…?” She should’ve known that he would still be alive, but had been hoping that he was dead.

“Alive?” he finished for her. “After you and your siblings tried to… take care of me, Master Zorc came to me in a vision and showed the power that I could have if I helped him. It was because of you and Odion that my own children turned against me.”

“As much as I hate to break up the family reunion,” Arkana interrupted. “We need to hurry up and go before his comrades realize what happened. Take your boy and go.”

Just as he was walking towards them, they heard a loud crash and the building shook from the force. A loud roar was heard and Arkana and Mr. Ishtar looked at each other with shocked eyes. “I thought you said it would take them a while to realize what happened,” the older man snapped at the magician.

“They shouldn’t have known yet,” Arkana told him. “I don’t know how they found us. Unless…”

“Unless what?” Mr. Ishtar snapped.

Arkana glared at him. “Unless that fool, Seeker, was followed. I sent him to finish off the siblings and he was supposed to be back here when he finished the job.” He looked at Yugi and the others with a sneer. “Take your son and go. I’ll try to hold off whoever came here.” He ran out of the cell before the older man could reply.

Mr. Ishtar hissed and grabbed Malik by his hair, pulling to the entrance of the cell. “Stupid man. He should’ve known that Seeker wouldn’t succeed.”

Kisara launched herself at him, forcing him to let go of Malik. She pushed him out of the cell and closed the door so that Malik wouldn’t try to help her. “You’re not taking my brother away,” she told him. Her adopted father slammed her against the wall.

“Pathetic woman,” Mr. Ishtar snarled. “I don’t know why my wife wasted her breath on you and that worthless bastard, Odion. I should’ve killed you two the moment she brought you to our home.” He slammed her head into the wall several times until there was blood. He let her fall to the ground, watching as she tried to crawl away from him. He followed her as she weakling crawled, bringing his foot down onto her back.

Meanwhile, Yugi, Solomon, and Malik worked on the spell to set Yami free from the swords pinning him to the wall. They quickly chanted the spell and gave all the energy that they had into making the spell strong enough to set him free and heal him a little bit. Tristan was trying to find a way out since the cell door locked automatically when Kisara closed it. “Damn it, there’s nothing I can do,” he muttered.

Once Yami was free, Yugi ran over to him and helped him stand up. “Are you okay? Can you stand?”

Yami nodded and managed to stand up by himself, staying in his demi-human form. He could sense that there was another dragon here, but they didn’t feel familiar to him and from the sounds of it, he could tell that this dragon was strong. Using his a little of bit of his strength, he broke the door down. Malik ran out of the cell, not seeing his father or his sister anywhere. “Kisara!” he yelled out. He ran down the hallway before anyone could stop him.

“Malik, don’t go!” Yugi tried to call out to him.

“I’ll go after him,” Tristan said, running after him.

Yugi looked at his mate helplessly. “What do we do?”

“You and the others are going to get as far away as possible,” Yami told him. He saw that Yugi was about to protest and interrupted him. “Don’t argue with me, Little Light. I need to be able to fight without having to worry about your safety. Get your grandfather and the others out right now. Try to call out to Set or one of his brothers. If you find a jar that has a dragon face on it, break it so that Shadi and the others can be free.”

The young boy looked at him for a few seconds then nodded. Yugi helped his grandfather walk as Ryou and Amane helped each other walk. Yami ran off to the direction where the fighting was happening. The halls were too narrow for him to glide or even fly there, but he could at least run faster than he could in his human form. From the sounds of it, the dragon that had crashed into the building was managing to put up a good fight, but even he knew that against Arkana and Seeker it would eventually tire out.

When he entered the area that the fighting was happening in, he was shocked to see the dragon that was fighting the two men. The dragon was large, but it was smaller than an average male dragon. It had to be about the size of an adult female dragon. The dragon was pink with some yellow on its body and a light teal on its wings with yellow horns and red-orange hair.¹

He saw Arkana cast a spell and a rain of daggers came down on the dragon. It managed to block most of them, using its wing, but it was now injured. The dragon roared loudly and shot fire at the men as it flapped its injured wing, trying to get the daggers out. Yami rushed over to it and used his dark magic to try and shoot Arkana and Seeker away. Arkana glared at him and summoned a few dragons to fight him and the other dragon. The dragon easily burned most of them when it shot fire at them, but a few dragons flew at it and him.

Yami tried to fully transform, but he didn’t have enough energy. He wasn’t going to long last against the dragons in his demi-human form let alone his human form. Just as the first group was going to reach him a barrier appeared and blocked the dragons from coming at him. He looked around to see who could’ve possibly done it and saw Yugi and the others. Amane was holding her hand up while Ryou seemed to be chanting a spell with Solomon.

 ** _I’m not leaving without you, Yami._** Yugi told him. **_We’re in this together._**

 ** _Thank you, Little Light…_** Yami looked over at Arkana and Seeker who were glaring at him and the others. He then looked at the dragon next to him and saw it nod at him. He nodded back and felt Yugi and Solomon giving him some of their power. It wouldn’t be enough for him to transform, but it would be enough for him to fight. “Okay, Arkana…come and get us.”

* * *

 

Malik ran to the top of the building with Tristan following behind him. wherever this building was, it was big. They had to have run at least ten flights of stairs. As soon as he reached the final flight, he and Tristan opened the door and ran outside, seeing that they were on the roof of the building. He saw his father holding Kisara by her throat away from the building.

“Farewell, Kisara,” Mr. Ishtar spat and released her.

“NO!” Malik screamed as his father vanished.

Kisara couldn’t do anything but wait for the sudden stop that would inevitably come.

_“Please don’t give up…”_

She could hear her mother’s voice as she fell. It had been a long time since her mother died. The only parental figure that loved her like she was her own.

_Be strong, Kisara. You have a power that no one else has. Use that power when you need it most. It will protect you…_

Malik ran to the edge of the building, being held back by Tristan as he watched his sister plummet to the ground. But just as it seemed there was no way to save her, a light shined brightly from her as did the sky. He saw something shoot down to where Kisara was about to hit and caught her.

 Kisara looked down at the dragon that caught and saw that it was a Blue-Eyes White Dragon that caught her. She could sense that this one seemed very young yet old at the same time.

“Where are we?”

Malik and Tristan jumped at the voice, seeing Set and Seto there behind them. “How did you guys get here?” Tristan asked them.

Before either twin could answer, the building shook violently as a hole was blasted through the side of it. They could see Arkana and Seeker escaping as Yami and another dragon fought off the dragons attacking them. Yugi and the others were running out. Tristan looked around to see if they could escape without having to go downstairs again. It was then he noticed that the building was…transforming? He saw bones appearing where the ground was. “Hey, guys…why is the building changing?”

“Get them out of here!” Set shouted to his brother.

Seto didn’t argue with him this time and grabbed Malik and Tristan, transforming into his demi-human form and flew off the building. He landed on the ground next to Yami. “We have trouble,” he told him, letting the two humans go.

Yami blasted the last dragon and looked at the building transform into a tower of bones. “Well this just got more interesting.”

Kisara watched from her dragon as the tower changed, knowing exactly what it was. “Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower,” she said quietly. She looked around as the tower seemed alive. It had absorbed the souls of the deceased dragons and was slowly boosting in power. She knew Odion had to be in there somewhere along with the pharaoh’s comrades, but it was going to take her a few minutes to try and connect with his soul.

“What is that?” Amane asked in horrified wonder.

“I don’t know, but it doesn’t look good,” Tristan answered.

“What do we do, Yami?” Yugi asked. Running away would be too risky with Arkana and Seeker still out there. And it wasn’t like they could get too far since most of them were injured. “Is there a way to destroy this thing?”

“I need power,” Yami replied. “I can destroy with one blast-”

“I can destroy it,” Seto stated coolly.

“Now’s not the time to let your pride get in the way, Seto,” Set scolded as he landed next to them. “Where are Shadi and the others?”

“Arkana captured them in a Dragon Capture Jar. I imagine he has it with him,” Yami answered. He saw a group of Dragon Zombies surround the monstrous tower. “We won’t be able to attack the tower unless we defeat the dragons guarding it.”

Set looked around seeing that he and Seto were the only two who could fully transform. There was the other dragon, but its wing was injured and there was the mysterious Blue-Eyes White Dragon that was still flying above with the woman on it. “Seto, you and I will merge with the other Blue-Eyes to take out the tower. Yami, you and the other dragon take out the others guarding it.”

“We’ll help,” Yugi said. “We can use our magic.” He looked to Malik and Ryou and both of them nodded. Tristan helped Ryou stand up along with Amane. “We can at least take out a few.” He saw Kisara get off the dragon when it landed not too far from them. **_Can you fight, Kisara?_**

 ** _I can manage_**. She replied.

Both Kaiba brothers transformed into their dragon forms. Set looked at the other Blue-Eyes. He tried reading the mind of the other dragon, but all he could tell was that this dragon seemed very young, but old at the same time. **_I don’t know who you are, but we need to merge to destroy this tower. It’s the only way._** The other dragon didn’t respond, but nodded to him. Set began chanting the spell to merge all three of them together.

Yami flew around and destroyed the Dragon Zombies guarding the tower along with the mysterious was flying as well as it could with its injured wing and burning its enemies. Ryou was controlling one dragon and had it attack the others while Yugi and Solomon worked together to create a barrier to protect them and their friends. Malik was using his magic to attack along with Kisara. Tristan held Ryou steady when he saw him swaying, knowing that he was fighting off the exhaustion and pain from earlier.

Once the spell was done, Set, Seto, and the other Blue-Eyes were merged and flew at the tower. Yami killed the last two dragons guarding it quickly and got out of the way, flying to where Yugi was. He helped his little mate make the barrier stronger since he knew that the blast from the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon would destroy most of the land surrounding them. “Brace yourselves,” he warned them. He wrapped his arm around Yugi’s waist. He could see from the corner of his eye that the mysterious dragon flew away.

The large, three-headed dragon blasted the monstrous tower. The force of it shook the ground violently and would’ve blown away the others had they not made the barrier.

“Can you see anything?” Yugi asked once the tower was gone. There was smoke and dust everywhere and saw that most of the area around them had been leveled.

Yami looked around, seeing that Set, Seto, and the other dragon had gone back to their human forms. The other dragon was in the form of a human boy with white hair with tones of baby blue, bright blue eyes, and pale skin. He looked like he had to be about five years old. The little boy ran to them, passing him and the others to hold onto Kisara. He looked very much like he was her own son. He looked to the twins, seeing that they were okay.

“It looks like we have to take you back,” Seto sighed. “I doubt you can even transform.”

Yami didn’t say anything, looking at the humans. He could see that all of them were exhausted and hurting from their earlier injuries. And though she looked confused, he could see that Kisara was already feeling something for the young boy. He looked down at Yugi. “Are you ready, Little Light?” he asked.

Yugi nodded, giving him a small smile. “Yes, I’m ready.” He stood on his toes, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. “And thank you for finding my grandpa.” He looked at his grandfather, holding his hand.

Yami looked at the twins. “Let’s go home. We need a plan to find Arkana…and to make sure that we kill him the next time we meet.”

* * *

 

Phew! Sorry for long wait! Was actually a little busy at work, but I might be able to update by next week at the latest.

So yeah, that’s it! The little boy’s appearance will be mostly explained next chapter, but just know he’s an original character. But at least Yugi’s grandpa is safe now! Now just try to figure out who the mysterious dragon is.

Anyways, I’ll try to fix any mistakes later. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	13. Chapter 13

**Warning(s)**

Mentions of death, minor cursing

Puzzleshipping: Rated T

* * *

It had been four days since Yami and the others had been rescued. After Set managed to heal most of their wounds, Solomon decided to go back to his shop and home along with Yugi. Serenity would continue to stay at Shadi's house with Joey while Marik and Set watched over them. Kisara stated that she would watch over Malik, Ryou, and Amane along with Tristan. The young boy that mysteriously appeared would also be staying with them. When asked how he appeared, the boy told them that a few years ago when the Ishtar family had explored the ruins of a temple, he said that they unknowingly unsealed him and he'd chosen Kisara as his "temple" to recover since his powers were drained and Kisara had the power of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon within her.

Yugi watched as his mate slept, tracing a few of his scars on his torso since his mate had slept only in his boxers. Yami had been staying with him and his grandfather since they got rescued. He knew that Yami hadn't been getting much sleep since he always went out to try and find Arkana so he could rescue his comrades. He felt sorry for him, knowing that his mate was really worried about them.

Yami stirred and opened his eyes, looking over his shoulder at the window. "What time is it?" he asked groggily.

"Six-thirty," Yugi replied. "You should get more rest."

"I can't rest," Yami said wearily. "I have to find them."

"And you can't do that or fight if you're not well rested," Yugi pointed out calmly. He rolled over onto his stomach, looking down at his mate. "Please get some sleep?" As much as he hated using this method, he gave his mate his most convincing pair of sad puppy eyes. It came in handy for situations like this and he hoped that Yami would be fooled into doing what he wanted.

Yami looked over at him and sighed. He was trying his best to resist and explain to him why he couldn't simply rest when his comrades could be in danger. But at the same time, he knew that Yugi was right as well since he hadn't gotten much rest since they got back. "Yugi…"

"I will find a spell to bound you to the bed if you don't," Yugi threatened playfully and winked at him. "My grandpa and I do have a lot of spell tomes. I think I can find one to make you sleep."

The older man chuckled, rolling over on his side. "Little Light, I don't take threats lightly," he said with a dark smile.

Yugi smiled back in challenge and leaned over to him, their lips barely touching. "And I am very stubborn when I want something," he said, brushing his lips over his mate's. It was meant to be just a peck, but when Yami wrapped his arm around his waist and pulled him closer, he couldn't help but want more at the moment. The kiss deepened and before they knew it, Yugi was straddling Yami while the older male had his hands on the younger male's hips and grinding their groins together. When Yugi felt how hard they were, he pulled away from the kiss and rested his forehead against Yami's.

Yami looked up at him as they caught their breath, hoping that he didn't scare his little mate. "Yugi…?"

The younger male shook his head and smiled nervously at him. "It's okay, I just…I don't mind," he said quietly. "W-We can do it again…if you want."

"Are you sure?" Yami asked. He had wanted Yugi since their first time, but he knew that his little mate needed time to come to terms with their relationship since everything had happened so fast.

"I'm sure," Yugi replied, feeling his cheeks turn a little red.

Just as Yami pulled him down to kiss him again, they heard a knock on the door that made of them jump in surprise. "Yugi, Yami, breakfast is ready," Solomon said through the door.

Both of them looked at each other and laughed, resting their foreheads against each other's. "Well, I guess we can wait until tonight?" Yugi asked him.

Yami nodded, giving him one last kiss. "Only if you want to, Yugi. I'm willing to wait until you're comfortable with this. There's no need to rush." He got up from the bed and pulled on his pants that he'd left on Yugi's chair next to his desk. He felt Yugi's arms wrap around his shoulders from behind and smiled when he felt Yugi kiss his cheek.

"Tonight," Yugi stated then got to change, putting on a pair of blue jean and long-sleeve black shirt.

Yami put his shirt and walked out of the room with him, seeing their breakfast on the table. He couldn't even remember the last time he had breakfast with company. Knowing his life, it was probably a thousand years ago when he was still pharaoh, but then again, the only people he had most of his meals with were Mana and Mahad. His heart clenched a little in grief at the thought of her, feeling like he'd failed her in some way.

"You okay?" Yugi asked him. He felt through their Bond that Yami was thinking of something that made him a little sad.

The older man nodded and gave him a small smile. "I'll be fine. Just thinking of the past," he replied.

"Mana?" Yugi figured that was probably why. He knew that Yami loved her like a younger sister from seeing his memories and that his last memory of her was when she got Yami to the temple then ran into the burning city to save as many people as she could.

"Yes. Sitting here, eating a meal with you and grandfather reminded me of how I usually ate with her and Mahad. My mother had passed away when she gave birth to me and my father had been killed when I was five. Mahad was only fifteen and he practically raised me and Mana with Shadi and Karim's help," Yami told him. "Mana was an orphan and Shadi could see that she had potential to be a great magician so he adopted her and we were raised together."

"Ah yes, I remember reading that," Solomon said. "Sadly, the last record of her was that she went into a burning building to save some children, but it is written that it collapsed and the bodies were never recovered."

"I figured as much," Yami said quietly. "She always did tend to act before thinking things through. Mahad always told her that would be her downfall. But I never thought she would…"

Yugi reached over and grabbed his hand, squeezing it. "I'm sure she's watching over you." He saw smiled when he felt Yami's mood lighten up a bit.

"So…I don't mean to change the subject, but it's a little hard to ignore the elephant in the room," Solomon began. "What are we going to do? That crazy man is still out there and holding your comrades captive. Not to mention, what about that little boy that appeared out of nowhere?"

Yami sighed and finished eating his breakfast. "I don't know, Mr. Muto," he answered honestly. "I will find Arkana and save my friends. He can't run away forever. He'll try to strike at Yugi and his friends to get to me. Or threaten the ones he has now. The one I'm really worried about is Mahad. I tried contacting him, but he hasn't responded."

"And Arkana did say something about sending a 'Diabound' after them?" Yugi asked. "What is that?"

"It's a fragment of Zorc that he used to assassinate his enemies. He tried to use it on me, but he didn't count on Mahad and the Kaiba twins being there when it came," Yami stated. "It kidnapped Bakura once, but we were able to find a few days later. He was almost dead after what it did to him."

"Is that why…he is the way he is now?" Yugi asked.

Yami shook his head. "No, it's because of the Kul Elna Massacre. He lost his entire family in one night."

Solomon nodded in agreement. "I remember reading about that. They were used to create the Millennium Items by Priest Aknadin after the pharaoh allowed-"

"My father didn't know that sacrifices were required!" Yami raised his voice and stood up, glaring at the older-looking man. "If he'd known that, he wouldn't have let my uncle done that spell to kill all those people. He became ill after learning what had happened and died a few months later. My uncle did it because he knew my father would feel immense guilt and wanted to become pharaoh himself. What he didn't count on, was me being ready to take throne so early and Set and Seto turning on him."

Yugi grabbed his hand, sensing the chaos going in his mate's mind. "Yami, calm down. My grandfather and I didn't know that. We only know what the history books tell us and can only go by what we know from them." He felt Yami calm down and squeezed his hand in support.

"My apologies," Solomon said to him. "I never knew that. History books have always said that Pharaoh Aknamkanon knew that he was ordering a whole village to die and died shortly after because the gods had cursed him."

"That's not too far from the truth," Yami muttered. "Aknadin didn't tell my father how the Millennium Items were made, only that he knew how to make them and that our kingdom would safe from the armies invading our home. My father ordered to make the items, not know that making them would require the lives of people. My father, out of guilt and wanting to protect me, asked to take his life in order to keep me safe from their wrath after he learned what happened."

"Seto and Set betrayed their father?" Yugi asked quietly. He didn't think they would ever do that, but then he remembered reading that they had gone against their father after Mokuba was born.

Yami nodded and sighed. "Yes, we found out before Mokuba was born, which was nine years later, the year we sealed Zorc. Aknadin had gone missing after my father's death since Shadi, Karim, and Mahad knew what he'd done to create the Millennium Items. They didn't tell me and the others what happened. It wasn't until he kidnapped Set and Seto's mother that they did."

"Wait, so why did he kidnap their mother? Did she know as well?" Solomon asked.

"No, she never knew what was going on," Yami replied. "He kidnapped her to get her pregnant with Mokuba. We figured he wanted another child so that he could use Mokuba for his schemes, but luckily we found their mother a month before she gave birth to him and Aknadin was never found. After their mother died in childbirth, Gozaburo Kaiba offered his family name and lands to them since Noah's mother had passed away as well after giving birth to him. Set and Seto knew that if anyone found out that they were related to Aknadin, no one would trust them and Mokuba would be shunned. Set was hoping that this would be their chance for a clean slate for them."

"So that's why they took on the Kaiba name. It would be a new beginning for them and Mokuba would never know the horrors of what happened," Yugi said quietly, finishing his breakfast.

* * *

"We've looked everywhere in the surrounding area and haven't found anything," Seto stated. "My brother and I are trying to see if there's even a hint of a pattern of where he could be heading next."

"But we honestly don't know where he is," Set told him.

Yami sighed as he looked at the map. "We have to keep searching. He's got everyone right where he wants them. It's only a matter of time before he comes after Yugi again."

Seto scoffed at that. "Your mate is not the only one that's in danger, Yami. All of those humans are in danger. You should've never gone after him. You've only brought nothing but danger to him since you two have been together."

"Abandon him like you abandoned Joey? Even with you binding your souls together, his wounds are healing slowly and he's still in a coma. Why do you think that is?" Yami shot back.

The older man growled and took a step forward. "Don't even bring Joseph into this. He's a weak human that-"

"And yet you saved his life and bond his soul to yours," Yami pointed out.

Seto growled at that and turned away. "We're done here." He walked off before Yami or Set could say anything. He was furious that Yami has tried to use Joey against him. A part of him still wondered why he saved the damn boy. Joey was dumb, weak, and useless. The boy was very rude and had no manners, the only time Seto ever saw the boy behave was around his sister and she was just as useless and weak as him. He passed by the room that Joey was staying in, seeing the boy's sister sitting next to his bed. It was obvious she was tired with the dark circles shadowing under her eyes. Yami's mate and their other friends were there as well. Tristan had his hand on her shoulder and told her to go rest.

He continued walking, seeing Mokuba on the stairs and looking up at him. "What is it?" he snapped.

Mokuba didn't react to his anger. "Why are you being like this, brother?" he asked. "You have something all of us don't and-"

He growled again. "I swear if one more person gives me a lecture about Joey…"

"You won't do anything to me," Mokuba stated calmly. "If I were Noah, you would since you don't like him." Seto looked down at him in shock that his brother would say such a thing and was about to state otherwise, but Mokuba interrupted him. "It's true and you know it. You've always disliked him."

Seto didn't say anything and walked passed him. While he could ignore the weak heartbeat coming from Joey's room…he couldn't ignore his dragon roaring in his head that his mate needed him.

"So what's the plan?" Yugi asked Yami as they walked back to the shop.

"We're still figuring that out," Yami replied. "It's only me and the Kaiba family left to protect you and your friends. We need to find someone who can protect you and your friends."

Yugi huffed and stood in front of him. "Yami, we can protect ourselves. I know my friends and I might not be as powerful as you, but we have powers of our own."

Yami chuckled and cradled his face with both hands. "I know, Little Light. But I won't be able to focus if I know I left you unprotected. You've seen for yourself how cunning Arkana can be." His phone vibrated in his pocket and saw that it was a text message from Set, saying to call him when he got the chance.

"Who is it?" Yugi asked.

"It's Set. He said to call him when I get a chance," Yami told him. They quickly hurried to the game shop and he called him as soon as they stepped inside. "What is it, Set? Did you find Arkana?"

"No," Set replied coolly. "But I did find some people we can trust to watch over your mate and his friends while we hunt him. I'm emailing you their files to your email."

"And how do we know we can trust them?" Yami asked him, walking over to Yugi's laptop that was on the dining table.

Set let out a humorless chuckle. "Trust me, we know them. After all, they used to be warriors in your army."

"There are still other survivors? I didn't think there were others that survived this long. How did you know about them?" As far as he knew, it was only him and his comrades that were still alive. "Who is it?"

"I just sent their information to you. You can see for yourself," Set replied.

Yami opened the files once he was able to log into his email, eyes widening at who he saw on the screen. "They're still alive? I thought all of them were…"

"Apparently they survived, along with your friend," Set told him. "They've been living on the island not too far from Domino for quite some time. But only your friend and the two guardians can come. The others are still asleep; they have been for the past three hundred years."

"I see…," Yami sighed. "Contact them and tell them we need them as soon as possible." He hung up, turning to see Yugi walking to him.

"Is everything okay?" the younger male asked. "You sounded shocked at something."

"I was, but I think we've found some people that can help," Yami told him.

Yugi looked at the screen, seeing three windows opened with three different files and pictures of men. "Who are these men? Did you know them?"

Yami nodded. "Yes, you're about to meet the other man that helped Mahad raise me and Mana."

Yugi's eyes widened and looked up at him. "You mean this is…?"

The former pharaoh nodded. "Yes, Karim is still alive along with another group of our comrades that are living on the island not too far from Domino City."

* * *

Yes! I'm still alive! Just haven't had time to write anything these past few months because of work(two jobs is NOT easy to handle!) and my attempt to move out! But that last part will have to wait since I need a car now! :'(

Anyways, I cut this chapter short because I wanted to hurry up and post it so no one thinks I'm dead and two, well…I don't know. But yes, I'm still planning on finishing this story and write the next story ASAP! By the way, I will any mistakes later.

Thank you so much for being patient with me! I really do appreciate that you've been very patient with me and my never-ending struggles with the real world taking up my writing time. But I haven't forgotten this story and I _WILL_ finish this!


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